The Seafood News
Lobster Runs In the Family at Weathervane Seafood Restaurants
Jeremy Gagner wasn’t even born yet when his grandparents opened the original Weathervane Seafood Restaurant in a small takeout stand in Kittery, Maine, back in 1969. But Ray and Bea Gagner started some traditions nearly a half-century ago that are keeping their grandson very busy today.
Just as many lobstermen are the children and grandchildren of fishermen, Gagner is a third-generation restaurateur carrying on a family legacy. His own parents took over the business in 1978 and he started working there during High School.
Now Chief Operating Officer of the popular family of seafood restaurants, he oversees an operation that serves up to 300,000 pounds of lobster and 60,000 pounds of clams every year.
Though there are now multiple locations in Maine and New Hampshire, Ray and Bea Gagner’s original formula — delicious treats from their old family recipes, served with a cheerful hello and a genuine smile — is still in place today.
Buoyed by strong relationships with seafood purveyors up and down the coast, the company never wavers from its original promise: to provide all their guests, generous portions of high quality food and drink with prompt and friendly service. Of course, serving lobster dinners and fresh fried whole clams wouldn’t be the same without piping hot baked potatoes and golden French fries. This requires tons of potatoes and Weathervane supports local agriculture by purchasing all of its potatoes from local farms.
Lobster mystique is also a popular topic at the Weathervane Seafood Restaurants blog, where in addition to news and special deals you’ll find items about the creature’s curious history, how to cook a lobster at home and a humorous look at how to eat one.
The company is also passionate about its commitment to a range of local charitable events and activities. Over the years, the annual Weathervane Seafoods Charity Golf Tournament has raised over $120,000 for Make-A-Wish, and they support Making Strides and the Jimmy Fund’s Marathon Walk with donations that include thousands of cups of chowder for participants. Additional community involvement includes the company’s Chowdah for Charity program, its Claws for a Cause initiative and local scholarships.
Gagner recognizes that in addition to lobsters and clams, shrimp and scallops, the company is also in the business of serving up memories — year after year — to generations of local families and countless more whose travels bring them to Weathervane Seafood Restaurant in the summer.
Today, the Gagner family invites you to visit any of the Weathervane Seafood Restaurants in New Hampshire and southern Maine. Come on in, sit back and relax with a menu, enjoy the food as it always has been – freshly prepared and served simply – with a genuine smile.
