Marina Cantina in Ocean Springs to change ownership, rebrand

Marina Cantina in Ocean Springs is under new ownership and will soon have a new name.

Thomas Genin, who has The Blind Tiger franchises and Marina Cantina in Gulfport,  has agreed to sell the Ocean Springs location to the Jordan Nicaud’s Bacchus Team, which has eight restaurants on the Coast. It will be rebranded as Bacchus on the Bayou.

Genin will retain Marina Cantina in Gulfport and install a new chef and management team.

The Ocean Springs location was bought from McElroy’s, which opened the Ocean Springs location after Hurricane Katrina.

“This is a unique opportunity to see a successful concept grow in Ocean Springs,” Genin said. “The sale frees me up a bit to further focus on the growth of The Blind Tiger and Marina Cantina Gulfport.”

Genin recently announced the fifth location of Bay St. Louis-based The Blind Tiger, which will open in Fairhope, Alabama in early 2023. Other locations include Slidell, Madisonville, Bay St. Louis and Biloxi. Marina Cantina in Gulfport, which opened in 2020, is a full service, waterside restaurant located on Bernard Bayou.

“We created Bacchus as a place for people to come together and enjoy food, drinks, and community,” Bacchus Team president Jourdan Nicaud said. “We can’t wait to bring a similar atmosphere and the same delicious coastal cuisine to Ocean Springs. The Bacchus Team values its connection with the Gulf Coast and we take pride in calling Mississippi our home.”

The ownership transfer of Marina Cantina in Ocean Springs will become official November 1 and it will remain open until then.