BILLINGS — A new restaurant has opened in downtown Billings, combining seafood and sports in a concept manager Stephen Leary said is unlike anything the city has seen before.
The restaurant is called Surf and Sport and features fresh seafood and nearly 40 televisions all tuned in to sports. The restaurant is also open later than usual for Billings, currently until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
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"I'm excited to bring something different downtown," Leary said. "It gives different options for customers coming in. That was my main thing."
Leary said he hopes the restaurant can help revitalize downtown Billings, a city he now calls home.
"I just wanted to be a big part of that," Leary said Thursday. "Even though I'm not from Billings, this is my home. My journey led me here."
Early customers said the restaurant is already making an impression. Kambri Sandman and Gabriella Biitner both praised the food and portions.
"It's pretty good," Sandman said. "You know, the shrimp are nice and soft and the crawfish are cooked real good."
Biitner added that she was excited about the restaurant offering something new.
"I don't think there's anything like that in Billings," Biitner said. "I'm excited about it."
Surf and Sport opened in the space previously occupied by Wild Ginger, a restaurant with a complicated history. Former Wild Ginger owner Howard Shen was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse of multiple women, including his own employees inside the restaurant. Those assaults occurred in October 2020, long before Leary arrived in Billings.
"I really don't know what happened in the past, but I've seen all the comments," Leary said. "I was just sitting in the background and my name is Stephen Leary and I'm not about that."
Leary said his restaurant has no connection to that history, though his business partner is Shen's wife, Tina Wu. Wu was not charged in connection with Shen's case.
"It has no affiliation with this at all," Leary said. "It's Tina and I, and Tina trusts me. She trusts me enough to take it and run with it."
That's why Leary is focused on his lifelong dream of owning and operating a restaurant, hoping to create a brighter future in downtown Billings.
"I'm literally putting my heart and soul into this by myself pretty much," Leary said. "I don't want to let Billings down. I don't want to let my team members down."
