Lobster Tail Maintains Community Atomsphere

Mark Smith is satisfied to say that he hasn't punched a time card or had a boss in over 50 years.

For his whole life, he has been in some capacity of food service, mainly seafood.

But it wasn't always The Lobster Tail, the restaurant that Smith owns with two locations in Windham and North Andover, Mass.

Smith spent 16 years honing his craft with his own wholesale seafood business.

But when Butcher Boy Markets was building its new plaza in North Andover, there was Smith's opening for something different – a location all of his own – because Butcher Boy wanted someone who knew fish.

"I knew I wasn't going to continue at the place I was at," Smith said.

So the first location for The Lobster Tail was born, stating as a seafood marketplace.

That location is still set up as a marketplace, much different from the restaurant atmosphere of the Windham restaurant. When Smith first launched Windham, he said that back area also started as a marketplace before he redesigned it with a bar and seating.

Now Smith refers to the room as a neighborhood hangout, where locals congregate for a comfortable, quiet dining and drinking experience.

"It's not loud, it's not obnoxious – It is kind of like 'Cheers,'" Smith said, referring to the bar made popular by the 1980's sitcom.

While The Lobster Tail in Windham is a local attraction, Smith said it also becomes a regional destination for many, with people from all over New England coming up for the dining experience.

He argued that his fresh food, brought in from all over the world, can rival that of Boston.

You don't have to walk far into the main restaurant to find a passion for seafood. A giant, 880-pound Pacific Blue Marlin hangs on the back wall, with a plaque recognizing Smith's close friend Chris Rivet as the angler who caught the fish.

That grab came back in September 1989, miles from Windham in Maui, HI.

But the restaurant game hasn't come without challenges. Smith said that he has the conflict of being a single dad, raising a son alone.

The time commitment prompted leave behind former locations in Westford and Hampstead.

"It was tough to try to run four of these," Smith said, "so I sold both of them."

But despite the closures, Smith draws solid crowds, even past the lunch hour on a weekday. His staff is full of veterans, and he has worked with his chef since he opened in Windham.

Publicity from the Phantom Gourmet, Best Of New Hampshire, and TV Diner has also helped keep customers rolling in.

Now Smith hopes to mold his son, who just graduated from Windham High School, into the food service industry.

His son will pursue a business degree at Sothern New Hampshire University starting this fall, with the goal to do what his dad is doing someday.