Just before the doors opened on a recent morning at the Net Result in Vineyard Haven, a worker wrote the day’s special on a chalkboard: Faroe Island Salmon.
The sight was a welcome return.
Though the Net Result has been a Vineyard Haven staple since it opened in 1985, this morning routine is still fairly new, at least for this summer. The seafood market recently opened its doors again on July 5, concluding an eight-month renovation and beginning a new chapter in its operations.
When Michael Santoro purchased the Net Result in May of 2019, former owners Beth and Louis Larsen had already talked about adding a second floor to the market. Mr. Santoro shared their vision: he thought that moving the office, bathrooms and miscellaneous storage upstairs could make room for a more expansive prep and cooking area on the main floor. But he also had big ideas of his own.
“We took it a step further,” said Mr. Santoro. “Let’s gut the whole seafood market.”
The Net Result closed for renovations on Oct. 31, 2025. Within the next month, half the building would be torn down and completely reinvisioned to include brand new walk-in freezers, lobster tanks, generators and a software-monitored refrigeration system.
“The idea was to bring in fresher seafood, better quality,” Mr. Santoro said.
They also spruced up the receiving area, giving it a sleeker look and all new display cases.
“We’d run out of room,” said general manager Mike Holtham. “We supply to 65 different caterers, restaurants, private chefs, and in order to be able to supply them efficiently we needed more rooms.”
They planned to reopen on April 1, but the harsh winter delayed construction by a few months. Another major challenge was building the new state-of-the-art lobster holding area, which Mr. Santoro described as “a pool in the ground with a lot of filters.”
Seasonal conditions and the market’s proximity to the harbor impeded installation, since high tides caused the tank to flood frequently.
With the new holding area installed, the Net Result’s storage capability vastly increased.
“We could hold twice as many lobsters as we did before,” Mr. Holtham said, and equated that to 5,000 pounds or around 3,000 lobsters.
Mr. Santoro said they relied on local contractors for the project, naming Danny Rogers, Brian Lane and Cole Powers among those who made the renovations possible.
Mr. Santoro also purchased the building next door — what used to be the Ice Box — this past April, and is looking to turn the space into an oyster bar in the spring of 2027. For now, though, the seafood market is just looking to settle into the new renovations.
“We’ve had enough planning for this year,” said Mr. Santoro.
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