Mabels Lobster Claw

What Mabels Lobster Claw does

Mabel's Lobster Claw is a single-location, full-service seafood restaurant located at 124 Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport, Maine, in continuous operation since 1953. The restaurant serves classic Maine seafood — lobster rolls, steamed lobster, shore dinners, fried clams, and clam chowder — to a customer base of Kennebunkport tourists, local residents, and historically high-profile guests including President George H.W. Bush. Distribution channels include indoor dining, deck and front porch seating, a walk-up window for takeout, phone orders, and online ordering via the Heartland POS system, with table reservations managed through the Resy platform. The business operates seasonally, reopening each April.

The restaurant is part of a broader Maine restaurant group that includes sibling/affiliated properties such as Bob's Clam Hut, Mabel's House, The Maine Catch, Robert's Maine Grill, Spruce Creek Pizza, and Harbor Burger Shack, though Mabel's is the primary branded entity on its website. Revenue is generated entirely through direct-to-consumer food and beverage sales at premium per-cover pricing (lobster roll $34, shore dinner $64-$80, mains $16-$46). The business has built substantial brand recognition through decades of earned media — TIME Magazine's 'America's Best Lobster Roll' (1986), Gourmet Magazine's Honor Roll (1994), Food Network's 'Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels' (2007), Fodor's endorsement (2007), Men's Health Magazine's 'Manliest Seafood Shack in America', and USA Today Readers' Choice second place for Best Seafood Restaurant in America. The company is privately held with no institutional investors, no public listing, and no disclosed management team beyond a general contact channel.

Name

Mabels Lobster Claw

Legal name

Mabel's Lobster Claw

Website

https://mabelslobster.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mabel's Lobster Claw is a privately held, single-location full-service seafood restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine, operating since 1953 and serving classic Maine lobster dishes to tourists, locals, and seasonal visitors via dine-in, takeout, and online ordering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Restaurant

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Fast Casual (THAFABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Seafood restaurant
• Maine lobster dishes
• Casual dining
• Takeout service
• Coastal tourism dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Kennebunkport

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Service: Traditional sit-down restaurant service offering indoor dining, deck dining, and front porch seating. Customers order from the menu and dine at the restaurant. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales at point of service.
2. Takeout and Walk-up Window: Customers can order food for takeout including via walk-up window. Orders placed online through Heartland POS system or by phone. Revenue generated from food sales without dine-in service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mabel's Lobster Claw is a full-service seafood restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine, serving classic Maine fare including lobster rolls, steamed lobster, shore dinners, fried clams, and clam chowder. The restaurant operates a full dining room alongside a casual Lobster Shack with simpler menu items, and offers takeout via walk-up window and online ordering. Seasonal operation runs from April through the fall, serving both local residents and tourists at a single Ocean Avenue location.

Product overview

Mabel's Lobster Claw is a single-location seafood restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine, operating since 1953. The restaurant's core offering is its full-service dining experience serving classic Maine seafood including lobster rolls, steamed lobster, fried clams, and clam chowder. The operation includes a casual Lobster Shack with a simplified menu at lower price points, takeout and walk-up window service, and online ordering via Heartland POS. Table reservations are handled through the Resy platform. The restaurant is family-owned and does not operate a technology product, platform, or SaaS offering — all products listed are food and hospitality service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Seafood Restaurant Dining Full-service dine-in experience offering classic Maine seafood including legendary lobster roll, steamed lobster, shore dinner, Lobster Savannah, fried clams, clam chowder, and other signature dishes. Customers may dine indoors, on the deck, or on the front porch.
• Mabel's Lobster Shack Casual seafood shack format serving a simplified menu including lobster roll, fish & chips, fried scallops, fried shrimp, Mabel's Burger, chicken tenders, and French fries at lower price points than the main dining room.
• Takeout and Walk-up Window Service Takeout service and walk-up window allowing customers to purchase seafood menu items for off-premises dining without sitting down at the restaurant.
• Online Ordering via Heartland POS Digital ordering platform enabling customers to place takeout orders online through the Heartland POS system accessible from the restaurant website.
• Reservations via Resy Reservation service provided through the third-party Resy platform, allowing customers to book tables at the restaurant online or via the Resy app.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Bob's Clam HutminorOthersRelated restaurant property in Kittery, Maine, also serving fresh Maine lobster rolls and fried clams. Listed as an 'Other Property' suggesting common ownership or affiliation with the restaurant group operating Mabel's Lobster Claw.
• Mabel's HouseminorOthersListed as an 'Other Property' of the restaurant group. A related hospitality property in the Kennebunkport area.
• The Maine CatchminorOthersListed as an 'Other Property' suggesting common ownership with other seafood restaurants in the Maine coastal area.
• Robert's Maine GrillminorOthersListed as an 'Other Property' - a related Maine-focused restaurant brand in Kittery, ME, recommended as an alternative dining option when visiting the area.
• Spruce Creek PizzaminorOthersListed as an 'Other Property' of the restaurant group - a pizza restaurant in the local area.
• Harbor Burger ShackminorOthersListed as an 'Other Property' of the restaurant group - a burger-focused casual dining concept.
• ResyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party restaurant reservation platform used by Mabel's Lobster Claw for booking tables. Customers can book reservations through Resy's website or app.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Red's Eats: Legendary Maine roadside seafood shack in Wiscasset famous for lobster rolls. Comparable heritage, single-location seafood-shack model, and tourist-driven demand.
• Eventide Oyster Co. Portland, Maine seafood restaurant focused on raw bar and lobster rolls. Comparable New England coastal seafood dining experience, similar menu anchors, and tourist/locals customer mix.
• McLoon's Lobster Shack: Seasonal lobster shack on Spruce Head Island, ME serving lobster rolls and shore dinners in a no-frills waterfront setting. Comparable traditional Maine lobster shack concept and seasonal operating model.
• Bob's Clam Hut: Sibling property of Mabel's under the same ownership group, also serving Maine lobster rolls and fried clams in Kittery, ME. Same seafood-shack concept, menu overlap, and target customer (tourists seeking authentic Maine seafood).
• The Clam Shack: Iconic Kennebunkport seafood shack located steps from Mabel's on the same waterfront. Directly competes for the same walk-up lobster-roll and fried-seafood tourist trade.
• Robert's Maine Grill: Sibling property of Mabel's located in Kittery, ME. Directly comparable seafood-focused concept within the same ownership group, with cross-promotion already in place.
• Luke's Lobster: Multi-unit lobster-roll concept with locations across the U.S., built around a similar Maine-lobster-roll value proposition. Comparable on product, target customer, and price point, but operates at far greater scale and year-round.
• Portland Lobster Company: Waterfront seafood restaurant on Portland's Old Port serving lobster rolls, fried seafood, and chowder in a casual shack setting. Direct comparable on concept, menu, and tourist-trade customer.

Regional players

• Pearl Kennebunkport: Upscale New American restaurant in Kennebunkport serving the same affluent tourist and second-homeowner clientele as Mabel's, but with a different cuisine and price tier.
• The White Barn Inn Restaurant: Relais & Châteaux fine-dining restaurant in Kennebunkport competing for the same destination-dining tourist occasion as Mabel's, but at a significantly higher price tier.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mabelslobsterclaw
• Instagraminstagram.com/mabelslobsterclaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mabels-lobster-claw

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 Mabels Lobster Claw