These Roots Run Deep

Most of us cannot imagine having the initiative, energy and passion it takes to succeed at running a single restaurant, so the thought of running five restaurants … well, that just seems crazy. But Outer Banks native Beaman Hines is one of those rare people who thrives in the face of such a monumental undertaking. As the hands-on owner of his own small empire of Outer Banks food service establishments – five restaurants, a busy full-service catering company, a commercial fishing operation and a restaurant supply business – Hines is constantly on the go, hopping from one restaurant to the next from dawn until well past dusk. But in feeding thousands of people on the Outer Banks every day, he has found the life that he loves.

It’s the life he has always known. Growing up in these parts – in Stumpy Point until he was 12 then Kitty Hawk, two places where his lineage dates back at least two centuries – Hines’ life was oriented around memorable family meals, feeding people and working hard.

Hines started working at age 10 after his parents gave him a 12’ locally built skiff for Christmas. Setting crab pots and gillnets behind his grandparents’ grocery store and grill in Stumpy Point, he established himself as a commercial fisherman  and continued to help his grandfather and father in commercial fishing well into adulthood. With many of his family members involved in the restaurant industry as well, Hines learned the ins and outs of restaurants early in life.

While still in college, Hines started a restaurant equipment and fire protection business. Through that business in 2001 he learned of a Nags Head restaurant deal that had fallen through and decided to open his own. Having learned to cook from family members while growing up, Hines was already spending his weekends smoking eastern North Carolina-style barbecue with all the fixings. So, he carried that over to Sooey’s BBQ & Rib Shack. Serving on-site smoked barbecue and hot hushpuppies with honey butter, Sooey’s proved to be such a success that at one time there were five Sooey’s locations on the Outer Banks. Hines has since scaled back to two locations, the original in Nags Head and one in Corolla. People looking to feed a large crowd depend on Sooey’s take-out, and those hushpuppies are legendary.

Hines’ next restaurant venture was Simply Southern Kitchen in Harbinger, which he modeled after Pots On In Kitchen, a popular local restaurant owned by some of his relatives. Simply Southern opened in 2016, continuing to serve the Southern-style country cooking that had long been served at Pots On, with the addition of Sooey’s barbecue. Just over the bridge on the Currituck mainland, the restaurant is extremely popular with people coming to and from the Outer Banks.

Sandtrap Tavern at Sea Scape Golf Links in Kitty Hawk came next. The high-quality food was a pleasant surprise for a golf course restaurant, and it’s so well-liked that the restaurant has a friendly neighborhood pub feel for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Occasional trivia, music and comedy shows are held here.

Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grill in Kitty Hawk is the largest of Hines’ restaurant ventures. The focus is on fresh, local seafood, much of which is provided by Hines’ brother and father, both of whom are commercial fishermen. Shipwrecks also serves Soeey’s ribs, wings, brisket and more. Shipwrecks offers indoor and outdoor seating, including an ocean-view deck, and entertainment, with nearly 30 TVs for sports plus live music and trivia.

Finally, Carolina Catering and Events is a busy catering company offering everything from intimate fine-dining events to weddings to whole pig roasts. The Carolina Catering team serves the whole Outer Banks and well beyond to include locations up and down the East Coast.

Hines stresses that the common theme to all of his restaurants is top-quality homemade food. Everything is made in-house. The cooks who do all the smoking of wings, brisket, pork and more have decades of experience, and it shows.

It all adds up to a busy life without much time for anything else that work, but Hines has no intention of slowing down.

“I still enjoy it too much,” he says. “It can be stressful, but it gets me up and going every day. I’m definitely a workaholic. It’s just the way I am. I grew up with the work ethic of my grandparents and parents.”

Hines is quick to point out that he could not do any of this without the help of an amazing team of employees who are just as focused on the quality of food and customer service as he is. Some of his employees have been with him for 10, 15 and 20 years, and his children, Beaman Jr. and Annaleigh, work with him as well.

For this sixth-generation Outer Banks native, welcoming people to the barrier islands and feeding them well while they’re here is a rewarding life, and one that benefits the diners just as much.

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