The management team of The Lobster Place in New York’s popular Chelsea Market neighborhood recognizes that today’s foodies want an interactive experience while shopping for seafood. So when they transformed their 10,000-square-foot, two-story building this spring, they also put in a full-service seafood restaurant, Cull & Pistol, and added small eating stations throughout the store.
“As the largest specialty seafood market in New York City, we serve roughly 3,000 customers a day, so our landlord encouraged us to reconfigure the place,” said Ian MacGregor, owner of The Lobster Place. The market previously did not effectively use retail space that opened up in 2008 after its wholesale operation — also dubbed The Lobster Place — moved to a separate location near the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx. “We weren’t able to take advantage of all of the retail space because of capital shortfalls.
“Plus, we had to figure out a way for the folks who were just visiting the area to spend money. It is tough to do if you are only a fish market. This neighborhood has attracted a large tourist trade and a lot of people within New York City,” MacGregor added. Before the expansion, the retailer was selling 15,000 pounds of cooked lobster a week — primarily to tourists — and operated a successful quick-service seafood operation, the “Shack in the Back,” with lobster rolls, fish and chips and a raw bar. In the store you can also find steamed and live lobsters, a large selection of fresh fish on open ice; a specialty food and appetizer section with smoked fish, caviar and other gourmet offerings; and an extensive “grab and go” section.
Click here to read the full story that ran in the August issue of SeaFood Business >
