What The Clam Shack does

The Clam Shack is a single-location New England seafood restaurant and market operating at 2 Western Ave, Kennebunkport, Maine, since 1968, under owner Steve Kingston (since 2000) and parent company JSK Group LLC. The company serves tourists, seasonal visitors, and local residents at a waterfront counter-service shack perched on the bridge over the Kennebunk River, offering al fresco outdoor dining and takeout. Its core products are the award-winning 5 oz lobster roll (served on Reilly's Bakery rolls from Biddeford, Maine), a broad fried seafood menu (clams, haddock, scallops, shrimp, calamari), boiled lobster dinners, and clam chowder, all built around a tight local supply chain featuring fifth-generation lobsterman Eric Emmons and on-site cooking in fresh ocean water.

The technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: Toasttab for online ordering and a Squarespace website for e-commerce, with no APIs, SDKs, or custom software disclosed. Revenue flows through three streams: (1) on-premise and takeout food sales with unit pricing in the $7.50-$52.95 range, (2) nationwide shipping of lobster roll kits, fried clam kits, clam chowder combos, and fresh picked lobster meat through the Goldbelly marketplace, and (3) branded merchandise (t-shirts, long sleeves, mugs, hats, gift cards) sold direct-to-consumer via the company website. The eight-employee operation is seasonal, with online ordering and the Goldbelly channel serving as the primary non-physical extensions of the brand.

The company's go-to-market relies almost entirely on earned media and word-of-mouth generated by an iconic location and 50+ years of operating history, with extensive press coverage from the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Thrillist, Coastal Living, and others, plus a content differentiator in the live Striper Cam streaming from the river pilings. There is no disclosed advertising spend, sales team, or formal marketing organization; the Goldbelly partnership and the e-commerce swag shop constitute the only material channel expansions beyond the single physical storefront.

Name

The Clam Shack

Legal name

The Clam Shack

Website

https://theclamshack.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Clam Shack is a single-location New England seafood restaurant and market in Kennebunkport, Maine, founded in 1968 and owned by Steve Kingston since 2000. It serves tourists, locals, and nationwide Goldbelly customers with an award-winning lobster roll, fried seafood, and branded merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Seafood Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Fast Casual (THAFABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC), Seafood Meal Kits & Heat-and-Eat Entrées (Prepared Meals Featuring Seafood) (AFANALAH)

Keywords

• Seafood restaurant
• Fried seafood
• Lobster rolls
• Seafood market
• Casual waterfront dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Kennebunk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant dine-in/takeout sales: Primary revenue stream from on-premise dining and takeout orders. Customers order at the counter and eat al fresco on benches and picnic tables. Open daily at 11 AM for outdoor dining and online takeout.
2. Lobster Roll Kit Shipping: Ships award-winning lobster roll kits nationwide via Goldbelly marketplace. Includes 1-2 pounds of hand-picked lobster meat, mayo, Kate's butter, lemons, Reilly rolls, and instructions. Additional products include clam chowder kits and fried clam kits.
3. Swag and merchandise sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, mugs, glasses, hats, and gift cards through their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Clam Shack operates a single-location, outdoor New England seafood shack in Kennebunkport, Maine, serving fried seafood, boiled lobster dinners, and award-winning lobster rolls at a counter with waterfront bench and picnic-table seating. Beyond on-premise dining and local takeout, the company ships lobster roll kits, fried clams kits, clam chowder combos, and fresh picked lobster meat nationwide through the Goldbelly marketplace, and sells branded merchandise and gift cards directly through its website.

Product overview

The Clam Shack is a single-location New England seafood restaurant and market in Kennebunkport, Maine, operating since 1968. The company offers a unified dining experience centered on its award-winning lobster roll, fried seafood, and boiled lobster dinners. The primary products include the signature Lobster Roll served with Reilly's Bakery rolls, an extensive fried seafood menu (clams, haddock, scallops, shrimp, calamari), and clam chowder. For nationwide access, The Clam Shack sells four shippable product kits via Goldbelly: the Lobster Roll Kit, Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls Combo, Fried Clams Kit, and Fresh Picked Lobster Meat. Additional offerings include a Striper Cam live fish feed feature and branded merchandise (swag) including T-shirts, mugs, hats, and gift cards. The company operates as a seasonal business with dine-in, takeout, and online ordering capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 oz of fresh hand-picked lobster meat per roll
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Five Islands Lobster Co. Georgetown Island, ME lobster shack on a working wharf offering boiled lobster dinners, lobster rolls, and fried seafood in a similarly rugged shack setting. Shares The Clam Shack's authentic-Maine provenance story and seasonal operating model.
• The Lobster Shack at Two Lights: Cape Elizabeth, ME cliffside lobster shack near Portland Head Light serving lobster rolls, fried seafood, and chowder. Another iconic Maine tourist-destination lobster shack with comparable outdoor shack dining format and lobster-centric menu to The Clam Shack.
• Thurston's Lobster Pound: Bernard, ME waterfront lobster pound serving lobster rolls, fried seafood, and boiled lobster on outdoor picnic tables overlooking the harbor. Comparable casual seasonal shack format with similar tourist base and lobster-centric menu.
• Bob's Clam Hut: Long-running Maine seafood shack (Kittery, ME) serving fried clams, lobster rolls, and chowder in a casual counter-service shack setting with outdoor seating. Direct competitor in the New England seafood shack category with similar product mix, pricing, and seasonal operating model.
• Red's Eats: Wiscasset, ME legendary lobster roll roadside stand operating since 1938. Direct peer with similar single-location shack model, iconic Maine lobster roll product, and longstanding tourism-driven brand equity that competes with The Clam Shack for traveling seafood enthusiasts.
• McLoon's Lobster Shack: South Thomaston, ME waterfront lobster shack on a working wharf. Most directly comparable peer: small seasonal Maine lobster shack serving lobster rolls, fried seafood, and steamed lobster in an iconic outdoor waterside setting with strong tourist draw.
• Young's Lobster Pound: Belgrade Lakes, ME lobster shack on North Pond offering boiled lobster dinners, lobster rolls, and fried seafood on outdoor picnic tables. Comparable seasonal shack-format Maine seafood operator with strong regional/locals and tourist draw.
• Bob's Clam Shack (Maine, separate from Bob's Clam Hut): Kittery, ME seafood shack on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard harbor offering fried clams, lobster rolls, and chowder with outdoor dockside seating. Directly overlaps product mix, geography (southern Maine coast), and the casual outdoor shack model.

Others

• Goldbelly: National curated marketplace for iconic regional foods. The Clam Shack is listed on Goldbelly for its lobster roll kit, fried clams kit, and clam chowder combo. Goldbelly is a distribution partner rather than a competitor but defines the addressable opportunity for shipping Maine classics.

Emerging players

• Luke's Lobster: Maine-rooted lobster roll concept that has scaled into a multi-city East Coast/US restaurant brand with national shipping. Comparable product (signature lobster rolls with traceable Maine seafood) and a distribution footprint that crosses into The Clam Shack's Goldbelly channel and physical restaurant space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-clam-shack

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 The Clam Shack