This restaurant is bringing $9.99 lobster rolls to Vegas. How is that possible?
Angie’s Lobster, set to open Aug. 2 in Las Vegas, is famous for its $9.99 Maine lobster rolls. For folks familiar with the ways of lobster rolls — indeed, for anyone who has ever strolled by the supermarket seafood case — $9.99 for a lobster roll seems, frankly, incredible (especially because the rolls routinely fetch $25 or more elsewhere in town).
How will Angie’s, in the Nevada desert 2,500 miles from Penobscot Bay, charge less than 10 bucks for a roll with a quarter-pound of meat? What’s the catch?
The catch is, well, the catch.
Angie’s owns a wharf on Bailey Island, Maine, where it purchases lobster right off the boat. It processes the seafood in its 63,000-square-foot plant about 35 miles north in the village of Richmond. The company also has a fleet of trucks and drivers to handle distribution. This boat-to-table ownership, the company says, helps make lower prices possible.
“Our business model is about efficiency. We do not chase revenue like everyone else; we chase efficiency.”
Honoring Mom
Tony Christofellis and his wife, Roushan Christofellis, opened Angie’s Lobster in late 2021 after selling Salad & Go, the drive-thru salad chain they founded — which now has about 150 stores across the Southwest, including five in the Vegas Valley. Angie’s Lobster now has seven restaurants in the Phoenix metropolitan area, with another shop there on the way. Flagstaff and Tuscon, Arizona, are also set to see new stores.
Angie’s Lobster takes its name from the late Angela “Angie” Christofellis, the mother of Tony Christofellis. She immigrated from Greece to Boston, raised her two children as a single mother and worked in seafood restaurants her whole life, eventually owning Angela’s Seafood in Boston.
“Angie’s Lobster was created to honor our mother and make sure that the love we feel every day gets passed on to the next generation and to future generations, ” Tony Christofellis said. “A company that will live every day like she lived her life — with love, courage, compassion, servant leadership, energy, fight and fun.”
Tail meat and more
The new Vegas shop is at 4835 Blue Diamond Road, at South Decatur Boulevard, in Enterprise. Beginning with the Aug. 2 launch, the lunch and dinner menu will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Aug. 13, the restaurant begins its regular daily hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with breakfast service added.
The lunch and dinner menu runs to lobster rolls, lobster tail sandwiches, fried shrimp or cod sandwiches, and fried shrimp or cod meals. The breakfast menu features French toast and breakfast sandwiches. Menu items may be ordered à la carte or as a meal with fries, Angie’s sauce and a drink for $2 more.
The essential bun
On Aug. 13, as part of its grand opening celebration, customers who purchase a lunch or dinner meal will receive a voucher for a free breakfast.
Angie’s Lobster features a drive-thru, counter service and a dining area. The restaurant (angieslobster.com) accepts debit cards, credit cards and smartphone pay but not cash.
As they should be, the buns used for the rolls are top-split, with flat sides. Without the right bun, it’s not a real lobster roll.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
