Ocean City's landmark Chatterbox restaurant, the distinctive pink building at the corner of East Ninth Street and Central Avenue, now operates as Philadelphia brunch spot Green Eggs Café.
The Chatterbox was purchased last year by the owners of Green Eggs, which has five Philly locations. They tested a new brunch menu at the Chatterbox last summer and initially planned to create a new Chatterbox menu, but now the location offers the Green Eggs menu alongside a revamped Chatterbox menu, an employee explained. It is open every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Green Eggs Café opened its first restaurant in Philly in 2010 and has locations in Midtown Village, Brewerytown, Fishtown, Rittenhouse Square and South Philly. The restaurant also had a brief 2017 run in North Wildwood when it opened as a pop-up inside Keenan's Irish Pub.
The Green Eggs menu is known for its selection of skillets, Benedicts and decadent French toasts made with carrot cake, cookie dough, cinnamon bun and more. There's also a lunch menu with burgers, sandwiches and salads.
The Chatterbox was originally founded in 1937 as a family-style restaurant and meeting place. The business moved to its current location, just a few blocks from the main bridge leading into the shore town, in 1940.
Its pink building was designed by Ocean City native Vivian Smith, the architect behind other local landmarks including City Hall, the historic Flanders Hotel and the Music Pier on the Boardwalk.
Over the years, the Chatterbox has passed through different owners who put their own spins on the original concept. The Repici family led the restaurant for decades, keeping it open around the clock during the summer months in the 1960s and '70s.
Famous actress and Philadelphia-native Grace Kelly, whose family owned a summer home in Ocean City at 26th Street and Wesley Avenue, is said to have briefly worked at the Chatterbox before she went on to Oscars acclaim and became the Princess of Monaco.
In more recent years, the Chatterbox was run by Maria and Bob Boyer, who purchased the business in 2014 and oversaw renovations to the property after it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The most recent owners, Regina Anthony and Giampaolo "John" Duva, undertook even more extensive renovations to fix and preserve the structure.
After the business was purchased last summer, the new owners pledged to keep the exterior the same to honor its long legacy.
Last week, USA Today named Ocean City its Readers' Choice "Best Beach in the Northeast."
“Ocean City has always been No. 1 in the hearts of so many of our residents and guests, and it’s a tradition for generations of families," said Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian.