ToquiNotes: A True City Fish Tale of a Decades-Gone Restaurant that Once Did Business along Main Street
By Jeff Toquinto on January 31, 2026 from ToquiNotes
EDITOR'S NOTE I: Updated with information from Dr. Theodore Kress. Thank you Dr. Kress.
When people think back to a long-standing seafood restaurant with a physical building in the City of Bridgeport, most will think back to the former Long John Silver’s. Today, that building is home to Papa John’s Pizza and Long John’s has a new home at Eastpointe in Clarksburg.
There, of course, have been a few places offering seafood at The Marketplace in Bridgeport, which ironically is in the building just a few yards outside the city limits. Those served great food but focused on allowing individuals to buy fresh seafood.
And then there are those who may point to Back Bay Restaurant, which was located also yards from the city limits on Tolley Drive in Clarksburg (despite having a Bridgeport zip code). That, to me, was high end seafood and I loved it there.
I digress.
If you’re old enough, like me, you may remember another restaurant. It was situated right there on Main Street. And, despite leaving the city limits decades ago, the restaurant still survives.
Does anyone remember Captain D’s?
In the 1980s, when a long-time Bridgeport man confirmed it was still in place, it was self-described as a family-friendly, fast-casual seafood chain. By 1989 it had more than 600 locations across the nation, and one of them was here in Bridgeport.
“I’m about as close to 100 percent sure it was Captain D’s as I can be,” said former Bridgeport Community Development Director Randy 
Spellman who spent decades with the city. “I know they were there in 1985 because back in those days I collected B&O taxes and dealt with them and just about every business.”
Spellman who spent decades with the city. “I know they were there in 1985 because back in those days I collected B&O taxes and dealt with them and just about every business.”
Spellman was also of the same thought as I was on the location – although it appears we were both a few yards off (and now is the eyecare building right next door). We both felt it was the site where Wilson-Martino Dental is located and while Dr. Robert Martino was not 100 percent certain, he was certain that Captain D's was in that area. And he gave a little history on that site as well - which we'll get to in a few paragraphs.
But first, Dr. Theodore Kress confirmd today it was his building that houses his practice that was the parcel that the former Captain D's building was situated on. Kress' highly succesful business sits right beside the home base of Wilson-Martino Dental, which may have been the home of another business building since it was not the home of Captain D's. (Anyone?).
Martino said he was not yet involved with Dr. Wilson when the company acquired the property. He said he believed that Wilson purchased the present-day parcel from Clair Chenoweth and by 1988 the building was open.
“I remember Captain D’s, but that was before myself and Dr. Wilson were in the building that is standing on the property today,” Martino said, who did say he was not 100 percent sure that it was Captain D's.
As for the old Captain D's, Kress said the building and parcel was acquired directly from Shoney's Corporation in 2001. It housed his eyecare practice until 2016.
"The current building (housing his practice today) was built behind the Captain D's building the the Captain D's building was demolished in November 2016," Kress said on a post on our Facebook page.
Kress even included a few photos of the demolition. One of those photos is shown here.
There was another thing Spellman confirmed. I was certain that after Captain D’s closure there was at least one other restaurant in the building. To add to it, I was certain it was a restaurant serving healthy food options and had a very brief life span despite the food – for someone who loves bacon grease – being exceptionally good.
“Yeah, there was a healthy food restaurant that went in after Captain D’s went out,” said Spellman.
When I asked if he remembered the name of the restaurant, he did not. However, he did remember one critical component.
“I know it was owned by Dr. Sue Bryant. I bet if you Google it, you may find your answer,” said Spellman.
He was right.
As he was on the phone, I typed in her name, Bridgeport, and healthy restaurant. It did not say “Dr.” in what I found, but the rest of the information was in place in an obituary for Donna Sue Bryant from Ford Funeral Home in July of 2021. And based on her educational background, she may have been a doctor. I guess for purposes of this blog, it is a moot point.
But this particular Sue Bryant lived in Bridgeport. She was a leader in church, particularly on the musical front, a travel agent, a choir 
leader, and much, much more. There, as I had hoped, in the obituary was the line that noted that she had a restaurant “Healthy Appetites for Healthy Living.”
leader, and much, much more. There, as I had hoped, in the obituary was the line that noted that she had a restaurant “Healthy Appetites for Healthy Living.”
And thanks to Kathy Bryant Cox - Sue Bryant's daughter - she confirmed the restaurant being there, but her father, not her mother, was the doctor. Thank you Kathy.
Food is no longer served on that parcel, but the teeth needed to eat food are fixed and maintained on the site. And who knows, maybe Captain D’s will buy the parcel of the old Towne House Motel and make a triumphant return.
While there were more than 600 in 1989, our good friends at Google say the number is roughly the same today. Google AI lists between 530 and 540 restaurants across 23 states with headquarters in Nashville.
While going on that lot may be a stretch, a return to Bridgeport, Clarksburg or any part of Harrison County is not an absurd thought. Google lists West Virginia locations as Parkersburg, Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Cross Lanes, Huntington, Hurricane, Logan, Princeton, and St. Albans.
The closest of the locations are in Parkersburg. And there are two in the city in Wood County.
I would be curious to know if there was anything anyone remembers if there was another restaurant or business other than those two at the site. And I would also be curious to hear anyone’s thoughts on their memories of Captain D’s in Bridgeport.
Editor's Note II: Top photo, courtesy of Google Maps, shows one of the two Parkersburg locations, while Randy Spellman is shown years ago during his time with the city. Third photo, from Dr. Theodore Kress, shows the demolition of the old building in 2016. Bottom two photos, from the Captain D's Facebook page, shows some of their current offerings.
