Bustin’ A Gut Maryland Style Seafood to Be Featured on America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow

Rocky Mount, NC – January 13, 2026 – Bustin’ A Gut Maryland Style Seafood, a Downtown Rocky Mount restaurant known for its Maryland-style seafood, Southern comfort food, and innovative dining experience, will be featured on an upcoming episode of the America’s Best Restaurants (ABR) Roadshow.

America’s Best Restaurants will visit and film on location Wednesday, March 4, from 2 to 5 p.m., highlighting the restaurant’s signature dishes, community involvement, and the story behind its ownership. The press is invited to attend.

Bustin’ A Gut Maryland Style Seafood opened March 28, 2025, becoming the first seafood restaurant and bar to open in Downtown Rocky Mount. The restaurant is co-owned by Marilyn Bryant Tucker and Leroy “LaMar” Blakney, who combined their personal roots and shared vision to bring authentic Maryland-style seafood to Eastern North Carolina.

The restaurant has quickly established itself as a growing, community-focused destination, recently donating food to a local nonprofit serving the homeless. Within three months of opening, Bustin’ A Gut earned a 100% sanitation score and was nominated among the top four restaurants by Raleigh Food Trap.

Guests enjoy more than just food. The dining experience is complemented by jazz and R&B music and enhanced by Mr. Krappy, an AI-powered robot food runner that delivers dishes directly from the kitchen. The owners are also expanding into entertainment with the upcoming Bustin’ A Gut House of Comedy, currently under development next door.

“We’re grateful to be featured on America’s Best Restaurants and to share our mission of serving authentic Maryland-style seafood while giving back to our community,” said Marilyn Bryant Tucker, co-owner.

“When we opened BUSTIN A GUT, we weren’t just opening a restaurant — we were making a statement of belief in the community. Today, the traffic we’ve helped create proves that vision, consistency, and bold investment can turn even the quietest spaces into thriving destinations.”
— Leroy “LaMar” Blakney, co-owner

Popular menu items include seafood egg rolls filled with jumbo lump crab, shrimp, and lobster; crab legs and shrimp seafood boil bags with a signature sauce; jumbo lump crab cakes; and fried flounder and catfish combo platters with classic Southern sides.

The finished episode will be announced on the restaurant’s Facebook page and will be featured on America’s Best Restaurants’ website and social media platforms.

Restaurants featured on the ABR Roadshow are selected based on customer reviews, menu items, social media presence, and community involvement, and are identified through customer nominations, internal vetting, or direct applications.

About Bustin’ A Gut Maryland Style Seafood

Bustin’ A Gut Maryland Style Seafood is located at 135 S.E. Main St., Rocky Mount, NC 27801. For more information, visit www.bustinagutseafood.com or call (252) 231-1557.

About America’s Best Restaurants

America’s Best Restaurants (ABR) is a national media and marketing company that spotlights independently owned restaurants across the United States through its ABR Roadshow.

Press Contact:

Lisa Bailey

Director of Content

America’s Best Restaurants

lisa@americasbestrestaurants.com

859-710-8877