Sunny Hunny (official name Sunny Hunny by the Sea Family Restaurant & Pancake House) has been an Ortley Beach institution for more than a half century, known for a mix of traditional and creative breakfast and lunch items - and for entertaining kids and adults alike with a costumed Elmo mascot.
Owners Donjae and Chris Markey bought the place from Donjae's family in 2019 and have been running it since. With a large audience of generational customers, the owners understand the appeal of keeping things the way they are. That includes regulars' favorites on the menu and the overall look and feel of the restaurant.
“It’s important to maintain the nostalgia and tradition and quality of the ingredients,” Donjae says. “People always say, 'I was here as a little kid' and now they show up with their newborns."
Continually evolving menu
“We keep the traditional items on the menu and be open-minded about taking what we have and expanding on it,” Donjae says. Recent additions to the menu include cannoli pancakes and stuffed french toast; bacon, egg and cheese pancake "tacos," and crab cake eggs benedict.
Above all, Sunny Hunny prioritizes the community. For items they don’t carry, such as multi-grain or gluten-free bread or vegan “eggs,” customers can bring in their own and they’ll prepare them.
One customer continually ordered an off-menu vegetarian wrap. One day she came in and saw a “Skip the Egg Veggie Wrap” that was now officially christened as a menu item.
“We are always customizing orders. We’ll make whatever you want if we have the ingredients,” Donjae says.
Demonstrating resilience
Sunny Hunny has been quick to re-open while prioritizing safety in the two major tragedies befalling the shore - Super Storm Sandy and the pandemic.
They worked extremely hard to ensure the restaurant could be open Memorial Day weekend 2013 after Sandy’s destruction in October 2012.
“It was important for the community to know that it was still there,” Donjae says. Their responsibilities to the community extended beyond the restaurant - friends and family used them as a point of contact to determine whether their houses made it or not.
Likewise, during COVID, they restructured the resto to handle the increase in takeout and to provide outdoor seating.
“My husband, myself and my family members were all working to get the restaurant prepared,” Donjae says.
This Summer season, they’re hoping to serve customers as they always do.
“It’s very time consuming in the summer, you’re working seven days a week, nonstop,” Donjae says. “But if you love what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like work.”
The Ortley Beach Community
It’s a tight-knit community of area businesses, looking to support each other. Chris’ mom has recently returned to working at Lavallette’s Crab’s Claw and the Sunny Hunny owners are always in contact with local businesses like Bakin Bagels, Wasabi, and Gigi’s
“If they need something from us, we can help them out, and visa-versa,” Chris says.
They cite the family atmosphere that makes Ortley Beach so special, although some of the full-time residents moved away after Super Storm Sandy, so there are more vacationers these days.
It’s also a little quieter these days,” Chris says, since the closing of popular nightlife spot Joey Harrison’s Surf Club, which was demolished by Super Storm Sandy.
And they’re leaning into trends while maintaining the nostalgia, posting on social media and expanding their merchandise.
“One or two videos of our workers went huge, it’s important for making new customers aware of the place,” Christopher said.
Beyond the traditional T-shirts, they now sell hats, visors, magnets, colored polos, and onesies for babies.
The Power of Elmo
But what about Elmo? The owners say the current Elmo is the son-in-law of the original Elmo, and stress he is an independent contractor that makes his own hours and gets unlimited breaks and whatever food and drinks he wants.
“Seeing Elmo is a routine for people,” as is "incessantly honking at Elmo” when people see him on the street, Chris says.
“We want to keep the kids happy as most people are on vacation. If their kids are happy, they’re happy,” Donjae says.
