Legal has now opened 13 locations, including two airport restaurants. For more information, see www.legalseafoods.com/. While the restaurant chain “loved” its proximity to hotels, an airport and offices in Crystal City, “it`s unfortunately the perfect storm to be impacted by COVID-19,” Berkowitz said. The new Virginia Beach location will open in the former McCormick & Schmick`s Space in downtown Virginia Beach, overlooking the main plaza. The 8,000-square-foot layout allows guests to have lunch and dinner in renovated dining rooms, private event spaces, an expanded bar, and wraparound terrace. On the menu, the typical dishes of Legal Sea Foods, which emphasize the brand`s commitment to quality and customer service. The restaurant plans to create approximately 75 new jobs and complement its dedicated and dedicated team with front and back roles. The company`s current headquarters are located in the South Boston Seaport District, and as of 2022, the group operates 24 restaurants in five states, most of them in the greater Boston area. [6] [1] The restaurant serves more than 7 million customers each year[7] with an average size of 6,000 square feet (560 m2). [8] Legal Sea Foods also operates an online fish market and ships fresh fish to neighbouring U.S. as well as a retail division. The company is also pursuing a lawsuit against insurer Strathmore, which rejected the restaurant company`s claim for significant losses due to COVID-19.
In 2009, Legal C Bar debuted with a retail outlet in Dedham, Massachusetts, focused on casual seafood and custom cocktails. [37] “Downtown Virginia Beach is a great opportunity for us to bring our iconic New England seafood experience to this dynamic market,” said Ann Marie Escobar, brand president and chief operating officer of Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group. “We are proud to partner with our new owner, Armada Hoffler Properties, in this prime location. This is such an exciting time for our brand, marking the opening of our first new restaurant since partnering with PPX Hospitality and ushering in a new vision for growth. “We are delighted to be back in Kendall Square to serve customers in the Greater Cambridge area. Our roots are in this city, and the reopening of this location is a testament to the hard work of the Legal Sea Foods team,” said Ann Marie Escobar, Brand President and Chief Operating Officer of Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group. “We are very grateful to our incredible guests and restaurant staff who have supported our efforts over the years, and we look forward to welcoming guests to the new and improved Kendall Square location.” The “Welcome to Legal” campaign launched in 2019 with ads that play on the legality of marijuana in Massachusetts. The campaign received national attention, with comments from posts such as AdWeek and AdAge.
[69] [75] Fancy a takeaway? Get $5 off your online takeout order of $20 or more for a limited time using code FRESHFISH. Valid only if you order from www.legalseafoods.com/order-online/ PPX Hospitality Brands, a Boston-based hotel group, today announced the purchase of Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group. The acquisition also includes the purchase of Legal`s Quality Control Center (QCC) in the Boston Seaport. The agreement enters into force immediately. In 1998, Roger Berkowitz was invited to join the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable,[26] a group of individuals with personal and professional interests in nutrition. [27] That same year, Bon Appétit Legal magazine named Sea Food one of the ten best restaurants in America. That year, Rich Vellante became executive chef of the restaurant group.[28] [29] However, the restaurant chain is “cautiously optimistic” about suing its insurance company for failing to cover pandemic-related business losses, Roger Berkowitz, president and chief legal officer, told SeafoodSource. “The world of restaurants will shrink.
There will be fewer people choosing to eat out as regularly as before. It makes sense to have a smaller footprint,” Berkowitz said. In 1990, the restaurant partnered with the U.S. Department of Commerce to develop a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program and establish a pioneering standard for freshness and food safety in the fishing industry. [20] PPX will own and operate all restaurant concepts under the Legal Sea Foods banner, including airports. Roger Berkowitz retains ownership of the Legal Sea Foods name in channels other than restaurant operations, including e-commerce and retail. The two companies will complement each other to further develop the iconic brand. Legal Sea Foods was one of the first restaurants in the United States to use lean production techniques to improve the customer experience. One of the most significant changes was to install a back-of-line position, similar to a bar-back position, to quickly resupply everything the chef or chef needed in a just-in-time flow. [49] Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Group, the iconic New England-based restaurant brand with more than 20 locations along the East Coast, has officially reopened in Kendall Square with an updated new look. The restaurant renovation can accommodate over 300 guests and has a brand new private dining room available for special occasions such as holiday parties, corporate events, birthday parties, bridal showers and more.
Other space updates include modern upgrades to the main bar and living room, new dining room furniture, textures, floors, and light fixtures. The restaurant also plans to update the terrace and outdoor experience later this year. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Legal Sea Foods had 33 locations, 3,500 employees and annual sales of more than $200 million. [2] As of March 2020, Legal Sea Foods had closed all indoor restaurants. Over the summer, the restaurant chain began gradually reopening 18 of the largest locations in the greater Boston area. In August 2020, $10 million of the federal government`s paycheck protection program expired and the company began considering mergers with other restaurant operators. In December, the group merged with PPX Hospitality Brands, a subsidiary of Danu Partners. Under the terms of the sale, Roger Berkowitz retained control of online and retail sales as Legal Sea Foods, and PPX became the new owner of the restaurant network and quality control center in South Boston. [46] [47] Legal`s restaurant at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. is expected to reopen in November, while Boston`s Logan International Airport is expected to open in September or October. In 2015, Legal Sea Foods launched a multimedia advertising campaign aimed at establishing a new religion whose members would become known as “pescatarians” and compare them to Catholics and Presbyterians. CEO Roger Berkowitz said the campaign was the broadest reach to date, covering all types of media, from print, online, to TV and even a gag website.
[71] The humorous campaign elicited minor backlash from religious people who were offended by comparing the restaurant to Jesus and Moses. [72] In 2003, Legal Sea Foods became one of the first U.S. restaurants to be free of trans fats. [31] The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook was published this year. [32] In 2011, Legal Sea Foods opened its new flagship restaurant, Legal Harborside, on Boston`s waterfront. [38] It was named “Best New Restaurant” by Esquire magazine.