By Oliver Peterson
Napeague’s famous Lobster Roll aka LUNCH opened their hotly anticipated second location in the former home of the Princess Diner and short-lived Silver Lining Diner in Southampton on Dec. 9. They have also announced big plans for the brand, which became even more well-known after it became a central location on Showtime’s hit drama The Affair in 2014.
This latest addition to Lobster Roll’s legacy is the restaurant’s first year-round location. Co-owners Fred Terry, Andrea Anthony, and Paul DeAngelis have teamed with Irwin Simon, chairman and CEO of Tilray Inc., for this cross-town expansion. In an announcement about the opening, the restaurant’s owners explain that Simon’s extensive knowledge of business development will help take Lobster Roll brand to a new level.
Together, they’ve plotted a dramatic expansion that will eventually include everything from new merchandise and grab-and-go food items to doggy apparel and now the newly opened second Lobster Roll.
Lobster Roll has embraced a modern nostalgic shack vibe for their Southampton location, which will continue to embrace its roots as a seafood hotspot for East End visitors while also catering to the locals who remain after Labor Day.
“We go for a retro vibe,” Anthony says, “we’re from the ‘60s, and we embrace that.” She plans on bringing those nostalgic feelings year round for day-trippers and vacationers alike to stop for lunch, dinner, and even just to grab a few cocktails before continuing along Montauk Highway.
While Lobster Roll is famously known as LUNCH, due to the iconic sign that sits atop the roof of their original location, the new Southampton restaurant is focusing on the dinner and cocktail menu for the year-round, late-night crowd. The beverage program leans on essentials such as the Bacardi rum splashes and frozen daiquiris, as well as new additions like the Basil Hayden Manhattan and Belvedere Cosmopolitan for Hamptonites looking to enjoy an elegant evening.
Lobster Roll will also be debuting a finely-tuned wine menu that features a few local favorites such as Wölffer Estate rosé.
Along with their namesake hot or cold lobster rolls, and other classic favorites, the restaurant is providing some new additions to their Southampton menu. For starters, diners can try the Finest Steamers and Broth, Fish N’ Chips, Hearty Manhattan Seafood Chowder, and the Soup-N-Slider —a cup of either Manhattan or New England Chowder accompanied with a classic lobster salad slider.
Lobster Roll is also aiming to dismiss the controversy of seafood and cheese with their Lobster Grilled Cheese featuring fresh lobster meat with choice of cheese. “Some may call this unethical,” they joke in the restaurant’s announcement, “but once you try it, you’ll consider it essential.”
Another cheese and seafood mix, for the main course, is the beloved Baked Stuffed Flounder, featuring crabmeat stuffing with mild melted cheese, and finished with scampi butter. Paul’s Famous Seafood Chili — a blend of shrimp, lobster, scallops and beans topped with melted cheddar cheese, sour cream and scallions — is also on the menu.
Affectionately known as LUNCH, Lobster Roll was purchased in 1965 by Frederick H. Terry Sr. and his father Richard C. Terry Sr. when it was a tiny roadside clam shack. Anthony joined forces with Terry in 1978, and DeAngelis came aboard three years after that.
Four decades later, Anthony and DeAngelis maintain the current ownership and management operations of Lobster Roll, transforming the busy summer eatery into a quintessential restaurant for locals, celebrities and travelers from all over the world. And now, with Simon as a new partner, the growth will continue.
This story first appeared on DansPapers.com.
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