Summer may be over, but it’s always beach season at Coconut Bay Cafe. This Murfreesboro hot spot features good food, good drinks and good prices wrapped in a beach party atmosphere’without the sand.
Tropical greenery, brightly-colored plastic sea creatures and bamboo shades are all parts of the beach motif at Coconut Bay. Customers can hang out on the party deck sipping a pi’a colada, enjoy some music or a football game, and imagine they are at a beach-side shrimp shack.
Samona Bumgardner of Hermitage first visited Coconut Bay Cafe with a co-worker, and she keeps coming back.
’It’s fun,’ says Bumgardner. ’There are a lot of great people you can meet here.’
Evidently, a recently married bride and groom agreed.
’We actually had a wedding here,’ says Amber Crisp, manager and bartender.
Employees built and decorated an archway for the ceremony, and the wedding was performed in a reserved section of the restaurant.
’They’re regulars,’ explains Crisp. ’They met here and got engaged here, so they got married here.”
Owners Amanda Gallagher and Tony Hinson, a father-daughter team, maintain a full calendar of events for the caf’ to keep the atmosphere energetic. Live music is featured every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and customers can take to the stage Thursday nights with karaoke. Sunday nights, Texas Hold ’Em tournaments are held at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. with prizes available.
For customers less concerned with the entertainment than the food, Coconut Bay offers a full menu of appetizers, soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches and various entrees ranging from Chicken Parmesan ($8.99) to the Seafood Platter ($14.99).
’I come here for the hot wings,’ says Roger Bennett of Manchester. ’I prefer this place over Hooters and Toots.’
Customers have the choice of Teriyaki, Jack Daniels, Zing, Honey Bar-B-Q, Mild, Medium, Hot or Extra Hot sauces on their wings, normally priced 10 for $5.99, 16 for $9.99, 24 for $14.99 and 48 for $22.99. Wednesdays, though, wings are $0.25 each.
Another popular item is the Coconut Bay X-Press. This is a very cheesy, slightly spicy concoction of rice and beans topped with queso, chicken tenders and pico de gallo. Dinner price for the Coconut X-Press is $9.50, and lunch price is $4.99.
Lunch menu items, including selected appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees at prices averaging $5, are available 11 a.m. through 2 p.m. A daily lunch special is offered Monday through Friday for $3.50.
’I get the lunch special every time,’ says Sonny Grimmett of Murfreesboro.
The specials seem to be working for owners Gallagher and Hinson. After almost six years since opening Coconut Bay Cafe, they are preparing to open a second location in Manchester in December, a little closer to home for Bennett.
’I can’t wait for the one to open up in Manchester,’ he says.
