FLATIRON — An outpost of the beloved seafood purveyor Luke’s Lobsters will open in the Flatiron on Monday.
The new installment of the lobster joint will offer local lunchers a taste of Maine at a shack-sized "cozy" spot at 5 W. 25th St., the eatery said.
Luke’s has won over seafood fans with its uncomplicated spread of lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, crab rolls and seafood platters.
Ben Coniff, who co-founded the restaurant in 2009 with Luke Holden, said they chose the neighborhood after doing some reconnaissance about the lunch habits of people in Flatiron.
"We just kinda hung out and saw where people were eating, and we saw they really cared about knowing where their food comes from," Conniff said, as workers bustled around on Friday to prep the restaurant for its opening on Monday. "We don't rely on a lot of numbers, we just kind of go with our gut."
Conniff opened the first Luke's Lobster with Holden, who claims a 40-year family legacy of lobstering in Maine, and the chain has expanded steadily since then with 18 restaurants scattered throughout the city and country.
The restaurants source their crusty critters and other nautical fare from Cape Seafood, a Maine-based seafood processing operation that Holden founded.
The chain celebrated its sixth anniversary on Thursday, and Conniff said even now he and Holden are pleasantly surprised with the rapid expansion of their operation.
"Just to still be in existence after six years was our goal, let alone be opening our 18th spot" he said.
