New Naperville oyster bar offering seafood fans a choice that's neither fast food nor fancy
For seafood fans, there's mostly a choice between fast food and fancy restaurants.
And then there's the Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar just south of downtown Naperville.
Kyle Howard opened the restaurant last month to offer fish fanatics an option between the price extremes that seem to dominate the western suburbs.
The Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar, he believes, fills that key space of casual dining with quality seafood at reasonable prices.
"That's what attracted us to it, and it's something we don't have here," Howard said. "Good, high-quality, fresh seafood at an affordable price. And a place where you can go just to hang out. You don't have to dress up."
Shuckin' Shack, located at 8 W. Gartner Road, took the place of Walker's Charhouse in the Naperville Plaza Shopping Center along Washington Street. Construction began in April, with one of the franchise founders actually flying into town to build the bar out of an old boat.
From the surfboards on the ceiling to the authentic lobster and crab traps, it's the personal touch of the restaurant that pushed Howard and his wife, Angie, to jump into the concept. The franchise started in North Carolina and expanded to 18 restaurants, but the Naperville location is the first in Illinois.
Kyle Howard already is planning additional locations once the Naperville restaurant becomes more established.
"We'd never been to the restaurant until we went out to North Carolina to meet with the people," Howard said. "We were immediately sold on it. It was the concept that appealed to us. We liked the vibe they were going for and the completely customer-focused atmosphere they had."
Howard said some of the more popular menu items are the lobster rolls, crab dip and steamed buckets of shrimp, crab, sausage, potatoes and corn. Of course, there's also a wide variety of oysters you can get raw, roasted or steamed.
Beyond the dozen beers on tap, Shuckin' Shack's boat bar offers oyster shooters, the rum-and-juice-based Painkiller and a Bloody Mary take called the Shack Attack.
Because the Shuckin' Shack is near so many neighborhoods, Howard said they've already developed a clientele of regulars who want to get away from the daily grind.
"Our whole thing is, you come in here relaxed and we want you to think about that great vacation place you found by accident," Howard said. "That's the atmosphere and culture we're trying to create, and customers are telling us it's exactly what they needed."