PANAMA CITY — Everyone might be in the same boat after Hurricane Michael, but now we can also be on the same dock — eating fried green beans and Trash Burgers on Massalina Bayou.

Kevin and Jeannifer Shea reopened Bayou Joe's Marina Grill on April 10, exactly six months after the hurricane ripped off the walkway roof, taking out the natural gas line, power, plumbing, phone lines, cable lines and security cameras.

"The support and everything we have had has been just tremendous from the very first day after the storm; people wanting to know if we were planning to reopen. ... The majority of everything in there now is just the way it was," said Kevin Shea, who received an outpouring of love as well as the words — "Don't you change anything."

Refreshed with new paint, the waterfront restaurant (accessible by land or boat) on the original dock has retained all the charm.

Bayou Joe's is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, getting deliveries of fresh seafood twice a week for sandwiches, salads, baskets and Captain's Galley entrees. Breakfast isn't back yet, but as soon as more staff get on board, you can count on that, as well as more days to catch your favorites. Otherwise, it's the full menu as usual — from Sloppy Sloppy Joes to crab cakes and grilled Island Shrimp marinated in beer and spices with Jamaican sauce.

"It took us six months, but I'm so happy we're back," said longtime server Carmen Folds.

On my first day back with my family April 12, the hostess walked up to the stand (painted by the Sheas' 14-year-old daughter, Abbey) toting a basket filled with clean towels. I've never been happier to see laundry. (I also felt the same nostalgic excitement when we got our check with pieces of Dubble Bubble gum for everyone.)

"We even have the same napkins for the roll-ups," said Kevin, referencing the multi-colored dish towels used to roll up the utensils.

The hostess stand and seating area was set up a couple of years ago to handle seating the crowds. Since reopening, Kevin said, they've been "keeping a full deck." My son made sure to get some fish food from the machine while we waited for a table.

No trip to Bayou Joe's is complete without fried green beans with housemade ranch; it's no surprise that Kevin said the dressing has been requested by the gallon. The green beans in the seasoned batter, slightly crispy and soft, were just as good as I remembered.

But Hurricane Michael definitely left its mark. String light bulbs hanging over the tables have traces of water, and a mark on the door into the retail area shows how high the bayou reached Oct. 10. Most of the equipment, including sliding doors on the edge of the dock, already had been moved to higher ground before the hurricane hit.

"We had 90 percent of the equipment in a U-Haul sitting on the hill up there," Kevin said April 18. "We had spent all day Tuesday taking stuff out knowing the storm was coming."

And Kevin admitted, he had two kinds of tears the first day he saw the destruction — "'tears of joy' that this place was still standing and 'oh, no' looking out and seeeing all the destruction in the Cove."

Since popping back in the kitchen, Kevin has been all about creating the craziest Trash Burger — some with smiling faces of banana pepper smiles and jalapeno eyes, others donned with fried green beans, onion rings and green toothpicks with pink flags with hashtags for Bayou Joe's and 850 Strong. Trash never tasted so good, or brought so many smiles to customers. And if you want your burger extra trashy, the Trash with Class has double the meat — but after that, it's still cook's choice.

"The first few nights I was back there with a big smile because I was doing food instead of construction. I was having fun with the Trash Burger, seeing what fun things I could do," said Kevin, who enjoys the pecan grouper when not diving into a burger. "And fried green beans are always huge, and the Drunk & Ugly Pie is always a big one, too. It's our version of peach cobbler meets cheesecake with a little bit of rum. Heat it up and it turns ugly, then add the ice cream."

The signature dessert features peaches stewed in a splash of rum and topped with cheesecake, baked in a graham cracker crust before being served with vanilla ice cream.

Bayou Joe's also is known for a killer Bloody Mary — mixed up with 14 ingredients and topped by an Old Bay rimmed glass, jumbo grilled shrimp, garlic stuffed olive and celery stalk — a favorite for regulars.

"This is the first time we've been here since the hurricane," said Mary Kay Jackson, dining with Thomas Davis and Madison Davis, 14, on April 18. "We were supposed to be here on vacation (during Hurricane Michael). He rode out the storm with friends and family in the Cove."

Mary Kay delayed her trip to Panama City from Dothan, Alabama, to meet up with Thomas till after the hurricane — bringing supplies. Though he resides in Asheville, North Carolina, Thomas kept a house in the Cove, which his mother had to move into after her nearby home was destroyed. But the area continues to be home, and Bayou Joe's is part of that history.

Thomas has been visiting the marina since long before it was Bayou Joe's. Once known as Ethridge Marina, the dock was a place to launch boats into the bayou. And after becoming Bayou Joe's, it has continued to attract boaters who are also looking for a taste of Old Florida.

"This has the coastal St. Andrew Bay aspect, completely different from being at the beach," said Thomas, who admitted, "I'm a town person."

After meeting at Shell Island in August 2018, Mary Kay and Thomas even went to Bayou Joe's for their first date.

"I've been coming here 20 years with family. This is a well-known spot for Dothan boaters," Mary Kay said. "This is a place we always visited by boat."

While the couple was nostalgic, they also were about trying something new.

"This is the first time I've gotten a Sloppy Joe in 10 years," Mary Kay admitted.

Madison, just like Kevin's 14-year-old, likes the cheeeseburgers.

While the Sheas moved here from Jacksonville a decade ago, this area is now home for their family, too. The Sheas have two other children, Fynn, 6, and Riley, "who is about to graduate college."

"April Fool's Day was our 10-year anniversary here," Kevin said. "The lifestyle, the pace is a lot different, but after a while of driving on almost all the roads at 35 mph and seeing four cars at a traffic light — you get used to that."