Madison Half Shell set to open next month

MADISON — The final touches on the Half Shell Oyster House being built here are underway with a September opening tentatively set. 

The new restaurant will be on the corner of Madison Main Street to the east of the Academy Sports right off Highway 463. 

“We’re extremely excited,” said Kevin Fish, owner of the Half Shell restaurant chain and vice president of operations, said. “We signed a deal for a place in Madison even before we got the Flowood location built, and that Flowood location has been there for years.”

Fish said the location for the restaurant is great because it’s a commercialized area. 

“This place is going to be a very neat and unique building for Madison,” he said. “We were originally going to be near Grandview Boulevard, but that’s more of a shopping center and we felt it wouldn’t be an ideal spot.”

Fish believes the food and atmosphere of Half Shell will be what attracts customers. 

“It all starts with the look and design of the restaurant, which comes right out of Louisiana,” he said. “We have jazz music playing, our servers are top notch and have to take nine tests to get their job, and our food is excellent and has won multiple awards.” 

Fish said coming to Half Shell will be worth the cost. 

“The experience you’ll receive is exceptional and definitely worth your time.” he said. 

Kelsey Griffin, director of marketing for Gulf Coast Restaurant Group, believes that a lot of people are looking forward to the restaurant’s opening. 

“This is something a lot of people in Madison are anticipating,” Griffin said. “We’ve heard people will travel all the way from out of state to eat food from Half Shell. I used to wait tables in Biloxi, and people told me that had come all the way from Mobile to eat.”

Griffin said Half Shell will also be a great addition to Madison and will fit in really well. 

“Madison is such a beautiful, thriving, and diverse community,” she said. “We don’t think there’s anything in Madison that’s quite like what Half Shell will bring to the table.” 

Griffin noted that Half Shell’s popularity comes from word-of-mouth, and their great reputation from partnering with non-profits and building good relationships with community leaders. 

“It’s a good way to grow your customer base,” she said. 

The new Half Shell Oyster House is being built from the ground up, and will be opening in the second week of September at 100 Merchant Street in Madison. 

It is the first building at the new Village at Madison, an upscale commercial and residential development in historic Madison. The 18-acre development will include 60,000 square feet of commercial space, 37 homes and 9 townhouses. 

Main Street Investors, comprised of partners Dr. Michael Manning of Ridgeland, Lee Stafford of West Point, and Mark Castleberry of Starkville, is developing the project.