Print
Restaurants

From Revamped Name To New Game Plan, Rx Retools For The Future

By Jenny Callison, posted Sep 28, 2022
Rx Chicken & Oysters owners, Sarah and James Doss, hold lionfish, an invasive but tasty species the restaurant plans to predominantly feature in the future. (Photo courtesy of Rx Chicken & Oysters)
Lions of a sort will be on the menu at Rx Chicken & Oysters in Wilmington, the restaurant’s owners announced Monday. In their most recent Facebook post, James and Sarah Doss said that the restaurant has obtained commercial fishing and dealer’s licenses, enabling it to prepare and serve fish that its owners and staffers catch and spear.
 
“We are predominantly going after underutilized species and specifically targeting lionfish: an invasive but delicious species that are destroying our reefs and decimating our local fish populations, like grouper and snapper,” the owners wrote. “We have noticed alarming numbers of these fish while scuba diving off our coast.”
 
Lionfish, which must be speared individually, boast venomous spines and require special gear to harvest and transport. But they are safe to eat and are numerous. Experts say reducing the species' population will benefit the ecosystem.
 
“They will be a staple on our menu when we’re able to go out and get deep enough to spear them,” co-owner Sarah Doss posted. “We will have them on our menu as often as we are able to. Fortunately, they are a delicious white fish with sweet, flaky meat that can be prepared in just about any way you can think of.”
 
Monday’s Facebook announcement was the latest in a string of news flashes from the restaurant since its temporary closing last February. The Dosses have used the intervening months to reimagine and revamp the business in major ways, starting with a name change. Rx Restaurant and Bar has slipped into a new moniker: Rx Chicken & Oysters, reflecting menu changes and a greater emphasis on seafood.
 
In June, the first official announcement shared the news that the couple had just started their own oyster farm.
 
“We just put our first 120,000 baby oysters in the water (with many more to come),” Sarah Doss wrote on Facebook. “We’re calling our oysters ‘Lucy Beas,’ named after our favorite saltwater lovers: our pups. We’ll be farming oysters in Stump Sound and Topsail and can’t wait to grow these babies big enough to serve you all.”
 
The Rx menu will continue to feature oysters from other farms as well, along with wild oysters harvested by Shell’em Seafood Co. when available, according to the post.
 
Earlier this month, the Rx owners announced they are expanding their operation into the house next door to the restaurant at 421 Castle St.
 
“In it, we’ll be adding a brewing and distilling operation (the Rx Brewstillery) with a small tasting room, where we’ll make beer and spirits the Rx way, focusing on local and high-quality ingredients,” Sarah Doss posted. “That will be something to look forward to in 2023. In the meantime, we will begin featuring some small brewing and distilling projects created in-house at Rx. You’ll still see some of your other beloved local beers and spirits on our shelves, but we can’t wait to add our own to the lineup!”

To prepare for this next chapter, the Rx owners have made updates to the restaurant kitchen and have made behind-the-scenes changes to increase the restaurant’s efficiency and green quotient. The anticipated date for completing renovations and reopening is sometime in early December.
 
Meanwhile, the Dosses have rented out the Rx space to a new film production, Searchlight Pictures’ The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, which will start shooting soon in the area.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Untitleddesign7

Getting Your Community Ready for Spring and Summer

Dave Orr - Community Association Management Services
Headshotrosaliecalarco 1182131047

The Government is Calling? Think Again!

Jasonpathfinder3

What You Need to Know About SECURE 2.0 and Its Effect on Retirement Plans

Jason Wheeler - Pathfinder Wealth Consulting

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

Rezoning Could Bring 123 Townhomes To Growing Leland Corridor

Emma Dill - Mar 25, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

In The Current Issue

Park Progress

The planning for Pender Commerce Park began in the early 2000s when the county wanted to create an economic driver on its largely rural west...


Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...


Expanding Tastes On Castle Street

As John Willse and Beth Guertin, owners of Wilmington Wine bottle shop and now the recently opened Creative Tastings restaurant on Castle St...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments