Tucked inside the Hampton Inn, there's a full-service, public restaurant. And it has new menu items.

Cassandra Lybrink, The Holland Sentinel
·2 min read
Sharkee's Bar and Grill opened 25 years ago in the Hampton Inn on Felch Street, the first restaurant inside a Suburban Inns hotel.
Sharkee's Bar and Grill opened 25 years ago in the Hampton Inn on Felch Street, the first restaurant inside a Suburban Inns hotel.

HOLLAND TWP. — If you haven't heard of Sharkee's Bar and Grill, Kevin LeTourneau won't be offended. He knows the restaurant is one of Holland's hidden gems.

LeTourneau is the director of food and beverage at Suburban Inns, handling day-to-day operations at the hospitality group's restaurants. That includes Big E's, a sports grill in downtown Holland, and Sharkee's — tucked inside the Hampton Inn at 12427 Felch St.

More: Big E's makes its return to Eighth Street

And yet, many of the customers lining up to enjoy the recently reopened Big E's have never heard of its sister restaurant, located less than four miles away.

Sharkee's Bar and Grill received a remodel in 2019, along with the rest of the Hampton Inn on Felch Street in Holland Township.
Sharkee's Bar and Grill received a remodel in 2019, along with the rest of the Hampton Inn on Felch Street in Holland Township.

"There's no sign out front," LeTourneau said. "Not a lot of people know about it. Even as we've been hiring for Big E's, there are some people who have been out here for years and never knew it was there."

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Sharkee's opened 25 years ago, LeTourneau said.

"It was our owners' first eatery in one of their hotels. It started as a deli/sandwich restaurant, but it's got a full-blown menu now. We actually just added six new items, including a quesadilla and tacos and our famous pizza pinwheels."

Even though Sharkee's isn't widely known, it has its loyal followers.

"You just get that vibe, that atmosphere," LeTourneau said. "It seems like a lot of people know each other, there's a lot of regulars, the staff has been around, we have a lot of frequent travelers."

Sharkee's borders the hotel's pool — where, just up the stairs, an area is available to reserve for parties.

Menu items at Sharkee's including pizza pinwheels, quesadillas and pretzel sticks. The restaurant is open 4 p.m.-midnight Mondays-Saturdays.
Menu items at Sharkee's including pizza pinwheels, quesadillas and pretzel sticks. The restaurant is open 4 p.m.-midnight Mondays-Saturdays.

"It holds 55 people," LeTourneau said. "We have a catering menu with three different tiers, and you can get pizza, pasta, breadsticks, cookies, salad. You don't have to have a reservation at the hotel to reserve that space. If you wanted to throw a birthday party or a graduation party, that's an area to consider, and a lot of people don't know."

Sharkee's was recently remodeled, along with the entire Hampton Inn, in 2019.

"I was so excited when I learned Sharkee's would be one of my locations," LeTourneau said. "I want to make it more visible. I'm doing everything I can."

Sharkee's is open 4 p.m.-midnight Mondays-Saturdays.

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharkee's Bar and Grill offers a full menu in Holland's Hampton Inn