Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant

What Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant does

Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant is an independent, family-owned full-service seafood restaurant operating from a single waterfront location at 8 South St, Ellsworth, Maine, on the historic Union River. The restaurant has been serving fresh Maine seafood for approximately 30 years and operates seasonally from mid-June through October, with summer hours of 12pm to 9pm. The physical footprint includes an air-conditioned dining room, a screened-in porch, and outdoor seating with river views.

The menu centers on fresh Maine seafood — hot boiled lobsters of all sizes, steamers, mussels, lobster rolls, fried clams, and self-described 'Award-Winning Chowder' — supplemented by steaks, burgers, salads, and a signature blueberry pie. The restaurant holds a full liquor license offering Maine craft beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails. A distinctive operational feature is the outdoor salt-water lobster cooking, with visible lobster tanks where guests can observe preparation and learn lobster lore. Operations are supported by the Toast point-of-sale platform, and the restaurant publicly supports the Maine Lobstermen's Community Alliance as part of its brand identity.

The business model is direct-to-consumer dine-in only, with no delivery, e-commerce, or third-party distribution channels. Customer acquisition is driven by walk-in traffic, tourist visits to the Ellsworth area, and organic social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, supplemented by a website providing menu access and location information. Revenue is generated almost entirely through food and beverage sales during the seasonal operating window.

Name

Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant

Legal name

Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant

Website

https://lobsterpot.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant is an independent, family-owned full-service seafood restaurant in Ellsworth, Maine, serving fresh Maine lobster, chowder, and related dishes seasonally (mid-June through October) to individual diners and tourists in a waterfront dining setting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-Service Seafood Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

Keywords

• Seafood restaurant
• Full-service dining
• Maine lobster
• Waterfront dining
• Casual dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellsworth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Full-service restaurant revenue from dine-in customers. Menu includes hot boiled lobsters, steaks, steamers, mussels, lobster rolls, fried clams, burgers, salads, award-winning chowder, and famous blueberry pie. Full liquor license generates additional revenue from Maine craft beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant is a family-owned, full-service seafood restaurant in Ellsworth, Maine, serving fresh Maine seafood including hot boiled lobsters, steamers, mussels, lobster rolls, award-winning chowder, fried clams, burgers, salads, and signature blueberry pie. It operates seasonally from mid-June through October with dine-in service across an indoor dining room, screened porch, and outdoor seating overlooking the Union River. The restaurant also holds a full liquor license featuring Maine craft beer, wine, and spirits.

Product overview

Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant is a full-service dining establishment located in Ellsworth, Maine, offering seasonal (mid-June through October) fresh Maine seafood cuisine. The restaurant provides dine-in experiences in an air-conditioned dining room, screened-in porch, and outdoor seating with views of the historic Union River. The menu features hot boiled lobsters of all sizes, steamers, mussels, award-winning chowder, lobster rolls, fried clams, burgers, salads, and their famous blueberry pie. The establishment holds a full liquor license with a selection of Maine craft beer, wine, and spirits. The restaurant cooks lobsters outside in salt water and offers educational opportunities for guests to observe lobster preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Maine Seafood Dining Seasonal full-service dine-in dining offering fresh Maine seafood including hot boiled lobsters of all sizes, steaks, steamers, mussels, lobster rolls, fried clams, burgers, salads, award-winning chowder, and famous blueberry pie, served to individual diners, families, and tourists.
• Outdoor Saltwater Lobster Cooking A signature preparation experience where fresh Maine lobsters are cooked outside in salt water; guests are invited to stop by the lobster tanks to see the lobsters being prepared and learn lobster lore.
• Full Bar Service Beverage service under a full liquor license featuring Maine craft beer, wine, and spirits, offered to complement the seafood dining experience.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maine Lobstermen's Community AlliancecoreOthersUnion River Lobster Pot is a proud supporter of the Maine Lobstermen's Community Alliance. The partnership supports the Maine lobster industry's heritage and sustainable stewardship practices. The restaurant displays the alliance's logo and encourages customers to learn about and support Maine's lobstering heritage, scientific research for conservation, and charity for distressed fishing families.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Direct peers

• Young's Lobster Pound: Belfast, Maine lobster pound and seafood restaurant serving fresh lobsters, clams, and seafood on the waterfront. Closely comparable business model: outdoor salt-water lobster cooking, scenic Maine waterfront, seasonal operation, tourist-driven demand.
• Red's Eats: Wiscasset, Maine roadside lobster roll stand famous for its overflowing lobster rolls and decades-long reputation. Comparable as a long-standing iconic Maine seafood brand drawing tourists for a single signature product.
• Woodman's of Essex: Essex, Massachusetts iconic seafood restaurant credited with inventing the fried clam, serving lobster, steamers, and chowder in a casual family setting. Comparable as a long-standing New England seafood destination with similar menu anchors and family ownership.
• Bob's Clam Hut: Kittery, Maine family-run seafood restaurant serving fried clams, lobster rolls, and chowder since 1946. Comparable heritage Maine seafood concept with similar menu (clams, lobster, chowder), full-service dining, and tourist-driven traffic.
• The Clam Shack: Iconic seasonal Maine seafood shack in Kennebunkport serving fried clams, lobster rolls, and chowder in a walk-up format. Directly comparable as a Maine destination seafood restaurant targeting summer tourists with a heritage brand.
• Portland Lobster Company: Waterfront lobster shack in Portland, Maine serving lobster rolls, steamers, and chowder on the working waterfront. Comparable as a high-volume, tourist-oriented Maine lobster/seafood concept with a scenic working-waterfront experience.
• Eventide Oyster Co. Portland, Maine seafood restaurant known for its brown butter lobster roll and raw bar, with strong New England tourism traffic. Comparable as a destination Maine seafood concept emphasizing fresh, locally sourced seafood and experiential dining.
• Luke's Lobster: Multi-location Maine-sourced lobster roll concept with restaurants in NYC, Boston, and other cities, plus a wholesale lobster business. Comparable as a Maine lobster-anchored restaurant brand with a sustainability narrative, though operating at greater scale and geographic breadth.

Others

• Maine Lobster Now: Online direct-to-consumer retailer of live Maine lobsters and seafood. Comparable through shared focus on authentic Maine lobster and shared reliance on Maine Lobstermen's Community Alliance-style sustainability positioning, but operates in a different channel (delivery/retail vs. dine-in restaurant).

Broad incumbents

• Legal Sea Foods: Established multi-unit New England seafood restaurant chain and seafood retailer with broad menu (lobster, chowder, fish) across the East Coast. Comparable seafood category and New England positioning, but as a larger, broader incumbent rather than a single-location destination concept.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unionriverlobsterpot
• Instagraminstagram.com/urlobsterpot_me
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-river-lobster-pot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Union River Lobster Pot Restaurant