Having met while attending college in Washington D.C., and working at various Bars and Restaurants in Georgetown, we caught the “Restaurant Bug” young!

Peter’s family spent their summers on Long Beach Island and so when “Reiders’s Lobster Pot” in Surf City went on the market in 1977, Peter quickly snatched it up. The mortgage for the restaurant and the house that came with it was $714.00per month and Josephine Reider came by once a month in her old Buick to pick up the check personally. Both properties needed a ton of work so we took a deep breath, rolled up our sleeves, and we got busy! We were the quintessential Ma and Pop restaurant. We did everything! We cleaned the crab, peeled the shrimp, cooked the food, waited on tables, and washed the dishes! We drove to the docks in Philadelphia to pick up the fish and to Trenton to pick up the produce at Licardello’s. The hours were long and the work was hard, but we started to notice a loyal following. As our business grew, so did our family. Soon the kids were standing on milk crates cutting mushrooms with butter knives.

Most of our guests back then are still our guests today. They have watched us grow from college kids to middle aged adults with grown children. We have watched them become grandparents and in some cases great grandparents. Through the years we have been fortunate to witness milestone occasions such as engagements, christenings, anniversaries, and birthdays. How lucky are we to be a part of such intimate celebrations!

It’s been quit a ride so far! We hope that you can join us soon, because as The Beatles said “We’re getting better all the time”!