Former Panthers player opens new restaurant that offers a twist on a Lowcountry boil
Former Carolina Panthers player Marcus Lucas is bringing Lowcountry seafood to Charlotte with the new restaurant Krustaceans Seafood.
Krustaceans opened on May 15 and specializes in seafood boil — with an added twist. Customers can add spices and flavors to each dish, such as garlic jalapeno, lemon pepper and the “original,” an Old Bay flavor, Lucas said.
Krustacean’s No. 1 seller is a crab and shrimp platter, Lucas said. But for customers wanting to explore, he recommends one of its featured dishes: fried lobster tail with a red velvet waffle.
Before opening Krustaceans, the former undrafted free agent for the Panthers had been looking for an investment opportunity, “something that could continue past my playing days.” On a visit to his hometown in Kansas City, Lucas’ aunt raved about a seafood restaurant called Krab Kingz. There, he met his current business partner and co-owner, and together they planned to open a similar seafood restaurant in Charlotte. After rebranding, they created Krustaceans Seafood.
Krustaceans was originally set to open in March, but COVID-19 interrupted these plans. Located near several corporate offices and business parks at the Shops at Lake Pointe, restaurants were normally packed during lunch hours. “And it was bare the first time we had ever seen it,” Lucas said.
After pushing the opening date back to mid-May, now Krustaceans is open for carryout and delivery. “We wanted to utilize this time that people are a little reluctant to go out and to still be able to offer them a great taste at a great cost,” Lucas said.
When the dining room opens, there will be in-house music and gloves, so patrons can “get a little messy” while creating a fun and safe environment. Lucas said Krustaceans has already received positive feedback from the community. “We’ve been open for three weeks now, and I’ve seen people four or five times already. So I think that we’re doing something right,” Lucas said.
Looking back, Lucas said the most rewarding part of opening Krustaceans was the learning process.
“I was playing football, and that was my life for the longest time. But now just becoming an entrepreneur and a business owner, it’s learning the mechanics,” Lucas said. “Now I could go and build a restaurant from the ground up. That was the most fun part, just learning everything.”
Krustaceans Seafood
2908 Oak Lake Blvd.
Instagram: @krustaceansseafoodcharlotte
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
