Insights from Celeste Fierro, Managing Partner at Claudio’s,
and Owner of Saylor Beach House
Claudio’s Marina, a cornerstone of Greenport, NY’s waterfront on the North Fork of Long Island since 1870 when it famously served as a Prohibition-era speakeasy with hidden trapdoors for smuggled alcohol, reopened for the 2026 summer season with a new chapter that blends tradition with fresh coastal concepts. The season began with the return of its anchor property, Claudio’s Waterfront, alongside the revival of a historic favorite, Claudio’s Restaurant (formerly Claudio’s Tavern & Grill), and the debut of an entirely new concept, Saylor Beach House. The marina also introduced a new boutique, Le Shack Beach.
Claudio’s Restaurant ushered in a new chapter for this iconic Greenport landmark. The refreshed space leans into its historic harbor front charm, with a cozy dining room made for shared plates and sunset views. Guests can expect classic coastal fare and signature seafood dishes alongside tavern staples, crisp salads, brunch favorites and a curated cocktail and wine list. In keeping with marina tradition, pizza will be offered on-site from Peter’s Pizzeria, known for its classic New York–style pies, fresh ingredients, and crowd-pleasing favorites.
The exciting new addition to the marina this season is Saylor Beach House, a Mediterranean-inspired dockside restaurant and bar. Born from a 30+ year friendship and a globe spanning journey, Saylor Beach House is the vision of two Long Island girls coming back to where it all started. Hospitality veteran Celeste Fierro, Co Founder of STK, joins forces with Grammy nominated pop legend Taylor Dayne, who brings her creative direction and music programming expertise to the experience, creating the hospitality concept they’d always imagined: a destination where polished design meets an easy, barefoot on the dock mood and every moment feels relaxed, social, and sun kissed.
Adding to the experience, Le Shack Beach will open as a boho-inspired boutique with a well-traveled point of view, bringing curated style and beachside charm to Claudio’s Marina.
The 2026 season builds on Claudio’s continued growth, following the announcement of its Claudio’s Bahamas location last year, marking the brand’s first expansion outside of Greenport.
“Claudio’s has always been about evolution while staying deeply connected to the community that made it what it is,” said Celeste Fierro, Managing Partner of Claudio’s. “As a North Fork waterfront fixture for generations, we’re reimagining Claudio’s with each season. We are proud to be restoring the spirit of Claudio’s Restaurant and embracing complimentary neighbors like Saylor Beach House and Le Shack Beach, all while honoring our local roots and the guests who made this harbor home.”
Fierro shares how seasonal menus influence operations, guest satisfaction, supplier relationships, and long-term restaurant performance, and offers actionable industry insights for restaurateurs and general managers.
Can you tell me about your restaurant and your role?
I’m the Co-Founder of Saylor Beach House and Managing Partner of Claudio’s in Greenport and the Bahamas. I spent years helping build STK into a globally recognized hospitality brand, and bringing that experience back to the North Fork on Long Island felt both exciting and personal. Claudio’s is such an iconic property, and being part of its next chapter has been incredibly meaningful.
Saylor Beach House, in particular, is very close to me. It came out of a decades-long friendship with Taylor Dayne, who in my opinion helped define the late 1980s and early 1990s pop and dance-pop scene. We both grew up on Long Island and have always shared a love of hospitality, music, and creating experiences that bring people together. We wanted to build something that captures that energy: great food, a beautiful waterfront setting, and a sense of ease and fun that feels true to the North Fork. Today, I oversee operations, guest experience, and overall vision across the Claudio’s portfolio, including Saylor Beach House, and Le Shack Beach Boutique.
Tell our readers about the addition of Saylor Beach House with Yacht Hampton for the Dock-to-Dine experience.
Saylor Beach House was always meant to be more than a restaurant. It’s an experience. We took inspiration from Mediterranean beach clubs and layered that with the laid-back charm of the North Fork. The Dock-to-Dine partnership with Yacht Hampton really brings that to life. Guests can leave Sag Harbor on a private yacht and arrive right at our dock for lunch or sunset cocktails. It turns the journey into part of the occasion, which is exactly how I think hospitality should feel—seamless, elevated, and a little unexpected.
What makes your business different from a year-round restaurant?
For our Greenport locations, everything happens in a compressed time frame. We have a limited season to create unforgettable memories, so every weekend, every meal and every interaction has to deliver. We’re also operating multiple concepts with different menus, plus live entertainment, marina guests, private events, and boat traffic all at once.
Tell us about your Chef and team.
Our Executive Chef, Thomas Gilliam, leads the kitchens at both Claudio’s Waterfront and Saylor Beach House, and he’s been instrumental in shaping the culinary direction across the board.
From our chefs sourcing fresh seafood and seasonal ingredients to our front-of-house staff welcoming guests arriving by land or sea, everyone shares the same commitment to making every visit feel special.
What’s on the menu(s)?
Each concept has its own personality, which keeps things interesting. Claudio’s Waterfront leans into coastal classics with fresh seafood, baked clams, lobster rolls, oysters, chowder, and other dockside favorites people come back for year after year.
Saylor Beach House is a bit more transportive, with Mediterranean influences, mezze, fresh fish, bright cocktails, and a menu designed for sharing. It’s meant for long afternoons that turn into sunset drenched evenings, with a spritz in hand and music in the background.
What are the most stressful parts of reopening each season?
The biggest challenge each season is making everything feel effortless for the guest, because behind the scenes it’s anything but. We’re hiring and training hundreds of seasonal employees, building out teams, managing inventory, and preparing multiple venues, all within a very condensed timeframe. There’s a lot that has to come together quickly, but the goal is always the same: when guests arrive, it should feel easy, polished, and welcoming.
What systems or tools do you rely on before opening day?
Detailed planning calendars, inventory management, scheduling software, reservation systems, and constant communication across all departments. Opening successfully really comes down to preparation.
How do you forecast staffing, inventory, and demand for the season?
We use historical sales, reservation trends, weather forecasts, local events, and tourism patterns. Being on the North Fork means a beautiful Saturday looks completely different than a rainy weekend, so flexibility is just as important as forecasting.
What usually goes wrong during preseason setup?
There’s always something unexpected like weather delays, vendor timing, equipment needing repairs, or permitting. Hospitality teaches you to expect the unexpected and solve problems quickly.
How do you coordinate with vendors before the season starts?
Those relationships never stop, even in the winter! Communication is constant because our success depends on having fresh ingredients, beverages, equipment, and supplies arriving exactly when we need them but this all needs to be in place well in advance or opening day.
Are there seasonal supply issues you regularly face?
Absolutely. Fresh seafood, produce, and specialty products can fluctuate during the summer, especially holiday weekends, so we always build flexibility into our menus and purchasing.
How do pricing fluctuations affect your planning?
We track pricing closely throughout the season. Protecting quality is the priority, but we’re always mindful of delivering value for our guests. With seafood-driven menus, availability and costs shift, so our specials and offerings naturally evolve with the market.
How do you hire seasonal staff?
We recruit early, hire for attitude first, and spend significant time training. Technical skills can be taught, but genuine hospitality can’t.
What makes a seasonal employee successful at your restaurant?
Energy, adaptability, teamwork, and a passion for taking care of people. Summer weekends move fast, and the best team members thrive under that
excitement.
How do customer expectations differ in a seasonal destination?
Guests aren’t just coming for dinner; they’re creating vacation memories. They expect incredible food, beautiful views, entertainment, and an experience they’ll talk about long after summer ends.
How do weather or tourism patterns affect operations?
Weather changes everything. One forecast can impact staffing, reservations, inventory, and guest flow, so we monitor conditions constantly. However, I never let a little rain stop a party. We recently had guests dancing and living their best life in the summer rain.
What software or operational tools do you currently use?
Reservation platforms, POS systems, scheduling software, inventory management, and reporting tools all help us manage multiple venues efficiently. Our POS systems are location-specific. What is consistent is we use a cloud-based POS system that gives us real-time reporting across multiple venues and helps us react quickly during peak service.
How do you manage waste during fluctuating demand?
Daily inventory reviews, flexible purchasing, and thoughtful menu planning across properties help us minimize waste.
How do labor costs change throughout the season?
They’re constantly adjusted based on reservations, weather, special events, and expected guest volume.
What operational work continues in the off-season?
Menu development, PR & marketing, recruiting, capital improvements, event planning, and refining every aspect of the guest experience.
What decisions are hardest to make before the next season begins?
This past offseason was really centered around bringing Saylor Beach House to life as it’s been a longtime vision of mine, and I wanted it to feel like nothing else on the North Fork or in the Hamptons. I’m incredibly proud of how the season has started; we’re welcoming new guests every day, many of whom quickly feel like regulars.
I’m already thinking ahead about how we continue to evolve the experience, and a big part of that is expanding our music programming with Taylor, including curated guest performances. She brings incredible heart, energy, and deep industry relationships, which will continue to keep Saylor feeling fresh, dynamic, and connected to the moment.
