Lobster Place

What Lobster Place does

Lobster Place is a family-owned seafood market and restaurant founded in 1974, operating from a single location at 75 9th Avenue inside Chelsea Market, New York City. The company operates a multi-component food offering anchored by a fresh seafood retail counter (whole fish, fillets, live lobsters sourced from the Maine coast, shellfish, oysters), a raw bar, a sushi bar serving Japanese-style sushi, sashimi, and donburi bowls, and a kitchen producing lobster rolls, seafood sandwiches, and prepared dishes. It also operates the adjacent Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, a Michelin Guide-recognized full-service restaurant that extends the brand into fine dining. The business serves individual consumers shopping for seafood or dining in, fine dining patrons at Cull & Pistol, and private and corporate event clients through an offsite catering service that provides raw bar stations, sushi stations, lobster rolls, and full clam bakes.

The company generates revenue through five streams: seafood retail, restaurant dining (counter service and Cull & Pistol), offsite catering and private events, online ordering for pickup and Manhattan delivery, and gift card sales. Pricing follows a market-style unit model (lobster rolls $28-$52, oysters $2.00-$3.75 each, caviar $65-$85, sushi $4-$72) with publicly disclosed menu pricing. The technology stack is operationally focused rather than productized: ToastTab powers online ordering, catering, loyalty, and gift cards; BentoBox powers the marketing website. Lobster Place does not disclose proprietary software, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities, and there is no public revenue, funding, or valuation data. The company has no parent entity, no institutional investor, and no disclosed M&A activity.

Distribution is primarily physical: a single Chelsea Market location serving walk-in customers, supplemented by the adjacent Cull & Pistol restaurant, Manhattan-only online delivery, and offsite catering. Marketing relies on organic channels — Instagram, Yelp, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, email capture, and SEO — with location-based foot traffic in Chelsea Market as a major demand driver. The company holds long-standing sustainability partnerships with Billion Oyster Project (operating the BOP Shell Collection Program across 70+ NYC restaurants and donating 1,500 lbs of oyster shells per week), Ocean Wise, and the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition, and has pursued co-marketing campaigns with the Wildlife Conservation Society and CREW Hospitality Group on the Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary petition, winning a Bronze Effie Award and a Silver Clio Award in 2026.

Name

Lobster Place

Legal name

Lobster Place, Inc.

Website

https://lobsterplace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lobster Place is a family-owned seafood market, raw bar, sushi bar, and restaurant in Chelsea Market, NYC, founded in 1974. It sells fresh seafood retail, operates the Michelin-recognized Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, and offers offsite catering and Manhattan online delivery to individual consumers, diners, and event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Restaurant & Market

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (445250), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE), Seafood Fast Casual (THAFABAJ)

Keywords

• Fresh seafood market
• Raw bar dining
• Sushi bar restaurant
• Seafood catering services
• Specialty seafood retail

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Seafood Retail: Fresh seafood sales at the market counter including whole fish, fillets, live lobsters, shellfish, oysters, and prepared seafood items for on-site dining or take-home preparation.
2. Restaurant Dining: On-site dining at raw bar, sushi bar, and kitchen serving lobster rolls, bakes, sandwiches, sushi, and beverages. Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar provides full-service restaurant experience.
3. Catering & Events: Offsite catering services bringing Lobster Place experience to events with raw bar stations, sushi platters, and made-to-order lobster rolls. Also includes in-venue private events at Cull & Pistol.
4. Online Ordering: Online seafood market for pick up or Manhattan delivery, 7 days a week.
5. Gift Cards: Gift cards available in any amount, redeemable at Chelsea Market Seafood Hall, Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, and for online orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lobster Place operates a fresh seafood market, raw bar, sushi bar, and full-service restaurant at Chelsea Market in New York City, selling whole fish, fillets, live lobsters, shellfish, prepared sushi, lobster rolls, and other seafood dishes to walk-in retail and dining customers. The company also runs the adjacent Michelin Guide-recognized Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, offers online ordering for pickup and Manhattan delivery, and provides offsite catering for private and corporate events.

Product overview

Lobster Place is a family-owned seafood market and restaurant established in 1974, located in Chelsea Market, NYC. The company operates a multi-component offering anchored by its Fish Market (retail seafood counter), Raw Bar (oysters and shellfish), Sushi Bar (Japanese-style sushi), and Kitchen (hot prepared dishes including lobster rolls and seafood sandwiches). The portfolio includes the sub-brand Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, a Michelin Guide-recognized full-service restaurant. Add-on services include catering (with offsite event capabilities), a loyalty rewards program, and gift cards. The various food service components work together to serve both retail customers shopping for seafood and dine-in customers seeking prepared dishes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar: Michelin Guide-recognized full-service oyster bar and restaurant located next door to Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, serving oysters, lobster rolls, and other seafood dishes.

Products and services

• Lobster Place Fish Market Retail seafood market offering fresh whole fish, fillets, live lobsters, and shellfish for customers to purchase and prepare at home, with online ordering for pickup or Manhattan delivery.
• Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar Full-service Michelin Guide-recognized restaurant adjacent to Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, specializing in oysters, lobster rolls, and seafood dishes made with market ingredients.
• Raw Bar Oyster and shellfish bar offering varieties of oysters from different regions (Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Baja California), clams, crab, shrimp, diver scallops, and sea urchin.
• Sushi Bar Sushi bar offering Japanese-style sushi including sashimi, hand rolls, cut rolls, and specialty donburi bowls, with tasting menus and a variety of fish options.
• Lobster Menu Lobster-based menu featuring Maine-style lobster rolls with claw and tail meat, steamed whole lobsters, lobster bakes, lobster poutine, and specialty rolls including a Roe Boat Lobster Roll topped with Kaluga caviar.
• Kitchen Menu
• Catering Services Flexible offsite catering including raw bar stations, sushi stations, lobster rolls, and full clam bakes for private parties, office gatherings, and special occasions, brought to customer locations.
• Private Event Hosting Event hosting at Cull & Pistol restaurant in Chelsea Market, accommodating private dinners, corporate events, and special occasion celebrations.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable at the Chelsea Market Seafood Hall, Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, and for online orders.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CREW Hospitality GroupminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026CREW Hospitality Group partnered with WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and Billion Oyster Project for complementary activations in the Hudson Canyon petition campaign. Participating establishments featured Hudson Canyon Catch of the Day dishes and offered QR-linked petition cards.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026WCS launched Year 2 of its Petition Paper campaign to raise awareness for designating Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary. Lobster Place participates as one of the select NYC restaurants and seafood markets featuring Hudson Canyon Catch of the Day dishes.
• Billion Oyster ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLobster Place is an ardent supporter of the Billion Oyster Project, dedicated to restoring New York Harbor oyster beds and educating young people about marine ecology. Lobster Place Wholesale Seafood operates the BOP Shell Collection Program, collecting shells from over 70 NYC restaurants and markets. The market donates 1,500 lbs of oyster shells each week, making it one of the program's largest partners.
• Ocean Wise Seafood ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBy partnering with Ocean Wise, Lobster Place is committed to promoting sustainable seafood across the business. The Ocean Wise symbol next to seafood items serves as an assurance of ocean-friendly seafood choices, helping ensure healthy oceans for generations to come.
• Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition (SGCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGCC is a partnership between shellfish growers, seafood distributors, restaurants, and The Nature Conservancy to inspire climate action. With over 150 member operations from Alaska to Florida, the coalition is dedicated to bringing about climate policy action by sharing stories of how climate change harms marine businesses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mermaid Oyster Bar: NYC Greenwich Village oyster bar and seafood restaurant. Comparable on raw-bar and seafood-focused dining experience in the same city, targeting a similar affluent, seafood-knowledgeable NYC customer.
• Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar: Lobster Place's own Michelin-recognized oyster bar sub-brand located adjacent in Chelsea Market. Included as a peer because the dine-in seafood restaurant format is directly comparable to independent NYC oyster/seafood bars.
• Eventide Oyster Co. Portland, Maine raw bar and seafood restaurant with national recognition for oyster bar excellence. Comparable on raw-bar premium positioning, lobster roll category, and sustainability sourcing narrative.
• Pearl Oyster Bar: Iconic NYC seafood restaurant in the West Village serving lobster rolls, oysters, and seafood-focused American cuisine. Comparable on premium seafood positioning and the lobster-roll category where Lobster Place competes.
• Neptune Oyster: Boston North End seafood institution renowned for raw bar and lobster roll. Comparable on premium raw-bar / lobster-roll category and on being a destination seafood market-and-restaurant hybrid in a major US metro.
• Grand Banks: NYC oyster bar aboard a historic wooden schooner serving sustainably sourced oysters and seafood. Co-participant in Lobster Place's Hudson Canyon conservation campaign and a comparable NYC upscale oyster-and-seafood experience.
• Greenpoint Fish & Lobster: Brooklyn-based seafood market and raw bar restaurant combining fresh seafood retail counter with dine-in service. Highly comparable hybrid retail/restaurant format operating in the NYC market, and a co-participant in Lobster Place's Hudson Canyon campaign.
• Crave Fish Bar: NYC seafood-focused restaurant group with multiple locations, also a participating establishment in Lobster Place's Hudson Canyon Catch of the Day campaign. Comparable on seafood-centric menu positioning and NYC customer overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Pike Place Fish Market: Iconic Seattle seafood retail market famous for its retail counter and fish-throwing tradition. Comparable as a destination seafood market with retail + direct-to-consumer ordering, but on a much larger and more tourist-driven scale than Lobster Place.
• Citarella Gourmet Market: NY-based specialty gourmet market with multiple locations offering fresh seafood counters alongside broader gourmet groceries. Comparable on the premium fresh seafood retail counter format within the NYC market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lobsterplacenyc
• Xx.com/LobsterPlaceNYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/LobsterPlaceNYC

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lobster Place