|
|
Sea Island founder Chrissy Anthony
and son, Barclay, are committed to
maintaining the traditions started
in 1965.
|
Although Sea Island Shrimp House opened
in 1965, the restaurant legacy spans many
more decades. Sea Island’s heritage
actually dates back to 1912 with the family
owned restaurant, Manhattan Café in
downtown San Antonio.
Owned and operated by Dan Anthony, the
Manhattan was a thriving cafe with a little bit
of everything on the menu. While successful,
Dan actually had his eye on building a
steakhouse. But luckily, his old friend
Henry Reed – who was also a “regular” at the
restaurant, pushed Dan to focus on the idea
of a seafood restaurant.
Henry, who quite honestly came in more
for the few wonderful seafood dishes,
knew there was something special about
Dan when it came to seafood. He saw how
Dan focused on seafood quality, freshness,
and time-honored recipes. He knew Dan just
had a knack when it came to seafood and
creating great quality dishes.
So, in 1965 while still operating the
Manhattan, Dan Anthony, his wife Chrissy,
and their friend Henry Reed opened up the
first Sea Island Shrimp House. And, as they
say, “... the rest is history.”
|
Today, Sea Island is still owned and
operated by the Anthony family.
Now, son Barclay and founder Chrissy Anthony oversee six restaurants. And although times have changed, the tradition of serving fresh, quality seafood to their guests has not. The family is committed to maintaining the integrity and trust of their guests established over 43 years ago. Barclay Anthony sums it up best by saying, “This is our family’s life, this is the life of the families we employ, we are all one family—and we will never compromise the experience of the families that eat with us.”
Barclay and Chrissy understand Sea Island must stay current and relevant with their customers. But they also know that time-honored traditions must play a central role in future growth, and to maintain the respect and trust of their guests.
Although times have changed, some things have stayed the same. Sea Island was doing the “Wild Caught” thing before it was actually cool—in addition to being the first fast casual restaurant in the country!
Wild Caught Texas Gulf Shrimp, line-caught red snapper, hand-caught flounder and Texas Gulf certified oysters are still on their menu along with Norwegian salmon, rainbow trout, Nova Scotia scallops and traditional catfish. They still hand-make their own sauces, breading, marinades, gumbo and sides. They still hand filet their fish, hand peel every shrimp and use tenderloin for their famous kabobs.
They also do business with some of the same fishing fleets, and demand the same quality of their seafood as they did in 1965. Today, nothing is served to their guests that Barclay and Chrissy haven’t tasted, inspected and fed to their own families.
What’s next?
More of the same! Find the highest quality seafood, find the right recipe and offer guests a great meal and seafood experience at a reasonable price.
|
|
|
|
|
