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Sustainable Seafood Restaurant With No Tipping Policy Opens in Park Slope

By Leslie Albrecht | February 8, 2016 6:52pm
 Prawn Shop, which opened recently in Park Slope at 669 Union St. off Fourth Avenue serves sustainable seafood and has a no tipping policy (diners pay an 18 percent charge instead.)
Prawn Shop, which opened recently in Park Slope at 669 Union St. off Fourth Avenue serves sustainable seafood and has a no tipping policy (diners pay an 18 percent charge instead.)
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Sutthaya Chalassathien

PARK SLOPE — The seafood is good for the planet and the tipping policy is good for the servers.

Prawn Shop, a new restaurant at 669 Union St. off Fourth Avenue, specializes in sustainably caught fish and shrimp and has a no tipping policy that guarantees servers are paid a living wage, the owners said Monday.

Instead of tips, Prawn Shop diners pay an 18 percent administrative fee on top of every check. The new Gowanus restaurant Insa has a similar policy, and so do restaurateur Danny Meyer's eateries.

Prawn Shop serves local oysters and fish from the New York and New England area, according to co-owners Evan Franca and Alison McNamara. Franca also owns Wang's Fried Chicken (next door at 671 Union St.) and Brooklyn Crepe on Fifth Avenue and Lincoln Place.

Prawn Shop's shrimp will come from the Gulf of Mexico instead of Asia, where shrimp harvesting is largely unregulated and can result in the exploitation of children and shrimp full of preservatives, Franca said.

"Using locally caught seafood is better for our planet, our economy, and is healthier and better tasting," said chef Kimberly Plafke in an announcement about the new restaurant.

The 32-seat seafood joint took over the space that was last occupied by Taco Santo. Eater first reported the opening. When the weather warms up, Prawn Shop will have outdoor seating that will double its capacity, Franca said.

The menu includes raw oysters and ceviche at market prices; a hot crab and kale dip appetizer with Old Bay seasoned croutons for $12; pan-roasted prawns with polenta and greens for $26; a hamburger for $14; and a $48 seafood boil with "the works" — one pound of crab, one pound of mussel and a half-pound of shrimp.