Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank and Joseph Zanti.
The Zanti family have been in the fishing industry for generations. In 1898 Guiseppe Zanti Sr. ventured to America from Italy and fished all over the country. Finally in 1950 Commercial Lobster was founded by Guiseppe and his sons Frank and Joseph Zanti. Guiseppe would soon retire leaving his sons to run the business.
The brothers would run the company until 1989 when Frank’s son, Joe Zanti and his son-in-law Dennis Kelley would be handed the keys to the business preserving the mission to deliver fresh and delicious seafood to their customers.
They had a dream though and that dream finally came to fruition in 1999 when they moved into a new state of the art building and developed a small restaurant calling it Yankee Lobster, a company that was recently acquired. Commercial Lobster would remain and focus on the wholesale aspect of the company and Yankee Lobster would feature a small retail market and restaurant.
In the years to come Yankee Lobster would go from being just a side project to the face of the company. Appearing on the Food Network, Phantom Gourmet, NESN’s Dining Playbook, and winning awards including Best of Boston multiple times.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is never smooth when trying to achieve one’s goals. From the beginning, there has always been obstacles. Some of which were out of our hands. For instance, Commercial Lobster was originally on Commercial St. in the North End, hence the name before it was moved due to requests by the city. We were moved around a couple more times until we finally found our home and landed in our current location.
When running your own company one takes a certain amount of pride. You know that you need to go the extra mile to get something done. That sometimes there is no one else that can get it done, except you. We are still a very small company. Each person wears multiple hats at any given time. You could be dealing with a customer and then have to switch to an HR issue and 5 minutes later be submitting the paperwork to get a permit that a department needs. It is a constant challenge and can be difficult not bringing the work home with you. Add to this that you are working day in and day out with the family can sometimes be the biggest obstacle of all. However, at the end of the day, we are a family and find a way to make it work.
Yankee Lobster Co. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company is quite diverse. We have the wholesale and retail market as well as the restaurant. Each department presents its own rewards and challenges. The constant mission though is to deliver quality product for a fair price and with excellent service. My focus is the restaurant and in the bustling Seaport district surrounded by multi-million dollar operations and corporations it is a welcomed challenge and great feeling to be regarded as a staple along the waterfront. We aren’t a fancy restaurant or even one that you would go to for a special occasion.
We have been called a dive, a hole in the wall, a shack and we welcome it all. It separates us from some of the other places down here. We want to be the casual spot where you can go to and grab a cup of chowder, fish & chips and a local craft beer. Our clientele is quite eclectic and we love that we get to interact with all kinds of people from around the country and beyond. You can look out in the dining room and see a family of four, a blue-collar worker and a group of business professionals all enjoying their meals.
Lobster is our specialty focusing on our lobster rolls, which come 3 ways: Fried lobster roll, literally deep fried lobster meat topped with old bay seasoning and butter on the side, Hot lobster roll, meat that is sautéed in melted butter or our Traditional lobster roll which is tossed with celery and a herb mayo that we make in-house. All 3 are served on a toasted butter brioche roll. We also have Lobster Mac n Cheese which was featured on the Food Network and of course a whole lobster dinner that comes in a variety of sizes.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Proudest moment of my career has been one of two things. Most recently has been our partnership with the Boston Red Sox and becoming the official lobster roll of the team. We will continue this partnership this season and I look forward to another successful year and hopefully a World Series Championship as well.
Second would be winning Best of Boston awards in Boston Magazine. We have won “Best Fried Clams”, “Best Fish & Chips”, “Best Casual Seafood Restaurant” and “Best Lobster Roll”. All have been great and personal accomplishments when being recognized by fellow Bostonians in a Boston magazine. The company and the Zanti family has been doing this for a long time now and it means a lot to be recognized.
Pricing:
- Prices range from $10 – $30 typically
Contact Info:
- Address: 300 Northern Ave Boston, MA 02210
- Website: Yankeelobstercompany.com
- Phone: 617-345-9799
- Email: info@yankeelobstercompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yankeelobsterco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yankeelobsterco/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yankee-lobster-boston
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