Bernie’s Oyster House, a River Street staple since 1993, will be closing its doors this weekend. The news was confirmed to us by several employees who were working final shifts at the River Street location over the weekend.

“We’ve known about this for months.” one employee said. “The owners of the building apparently want to do something else with this,” referring to the space.

According to the employee, the building is owned by The River Street Inn, a hotel above the restaurant that faces Bay Street, but includes other spaces along River Street.

On Friday night, the bartender was pouring drinks to their guests based on whatever inventory they had left. “We aren’t restocking here.” is what one visitor was told.

It should be stressed that Bernie’s is not closing. They are moving to Pooler. Work is underway for Bernie’s to move into the space formerly occupied by Molly McPherson’s Scottish Pub and Grill, which closed their space on Town Centre Drive in June.

“We’ve been told it will still be a few weeks. I’m hoping for the end of August.” according to one employee. The Pooler location and their Tybee Island location, which opened in 2006, will continue to carry the Bernie’s Oyster House flag.

We don’t yet know what will replace Bernie’s on River Street, but the news will still send a nostalgic ripple through Savannah. The face of Savannah’s Historic Riverfront continues to evolve. In just the last few years, River Street staples including Kevin Barry’s Pub and Bayou Cafe each ended decades-long runs along the waterfront.

The Bayou Cafe space is currently empty following a short-lived run as a pub by another tenant. Meanwhile, the space formerly occupied by Kevin Barry’s is getting a makeover and is expected to return as a locally-owned Gastropub sometime in 2024.

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