Fire damages Dockers Waterside in East Quogue before Memorial Day weekend

A fire damaged Dockers Waterside in East Quogue late Wednesday afternoon, hitting one of the East End’s better-known waterfront dining spots just as Memorial Day weekend traffic was about to begin. The East Quogue Fire Department responded at about 3:53 p.m. to the blaze at 94 Dune Road, and the restaurant had only recently reopened for its 2026 season, less than a month earlier.

There were no reports of injuries so far, and firefighters had the fire under control about 30 minutes after they were called. Dockers owner Larry Hoffman said employees smelled smoke while the restaurant was closed Wednesday, and five mutual-aid departments assisted the East Quogue Fire Department at the scene. The cause and reopening date were still unknown as damage assessment continued.

The timing matters as much as the fire itself. Dockers Waterside has been a Dune Road destination since 1989, and its website describes the business as a waterfront restaurant and marina with live entertainment. In a hamlet where warm-weather weekends help set the tone for the entire summer, a shutdown at the start of the season can ripple beyond the building itself. Reservations can be canceled, kitchen and service staff can lose shifts, and local suppliers that count on early-season seafood, beverages and produce orders can feel the strain quickly.

That pressure was sharper because Southampton Town was already in Memorial Day weekend planning and traffic-management mode in East Quogue when the fire broke out. The holiday weekend is one of the first major tests of the East End summer economy, when oceanfront restaurants, marinas and nearby businesses depend on full parking lots, steady table turns and visitors moving through Dune Road. Dockers said on its website that it was closed while repairs were made because of the fire, leaving one of East Quogue’s long-running seasonal anchors dark at the exact moment the summer rush was set to begin.