By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

Lewiston’s newest restaurant was christened on Wednesday.

The Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting for the Olcott Lobster Company. An offshoot of the popular Olcott eatery of the same name, this location is operated by Michelle Pozantides and her brother, Kevin Thomasula, at 755 Center St.

Olcott Lobster Company specializes in Maine-inspired lobster rolls. Its signature recipe combines fresh, sweet claw knuckle meat covered in clarified butter on a split, New England-style brioche roll. One of the eatery’s highlight dishes is a “lobster flight” – a Connecticut roll (with 5 ounces of warm, buttery lobster), a New England roll (cold roll mixed with light mayo, celery, onion seasonings) and the Olcott fire roll (Calabrian chili on top).

Olcott Lobster Company in Lewiston officially opens Friday, May 1.

Last October, when Pozantides announced she was taking over the site of the former Lewiston Stone House, she said the restaurant would be called the Lewiston Lobster Company. But with the popularity of her business, and the potential for more locations, “We made a decision, based on our branding, that we were going to keep it all one name for any location, no matter where we go,” Pozantides said in a recent interview.

“Olcott Lobster company in Olcott is our original location. Any future expansions will have that menu – not this one,” Pozantides added. “This one's special. We went with a Nantucket vibe in here, more than a beachy vibe, for that purpose – because this is a standout, standalone flagship of Olcott Lobster Company. There will never be one as large as this.”

The ribbon-cutting doubled as a “Business Blender,” and attendance was high, as friends, family, elected leaders and fellow business owners came out to mingle and celebrate the Olcott Lobster Company. The munched on sandwiches, fries, and lobster mac & cheese – and were treated to an assortment of Johnnie Ryan Sodas.

In a social media post, the Upward Niagara Chamber shared, “Our members know how to show up. We had more than 200 people give a true Center Street welcome to Olcott Lobster Company. Congratulations to Michelle and Kevin!”

“The people of Lewiston are so incredibly gracious,” Pozantides said. “I underestimated how excited they are that we’re coming here. We knew that they were a large customer base of ours in Olcott, but I think we underestimated just how excited they are to have somebody doing seafood in Lewiston. There really isn't anybody else that's focusing on seafood down Center Street, so we are so excited to be No. 1 in that – and they are so excited to have us here.

“We've really come to meet a lot of people, a lot of head-turners, a lot of dog walkers walking down the street. They're just like, ‘I'll see you on May 1.’ They've just been counting the days. They're really super excited. They love their live music. They love to have a good time.

“I think that service is really important to them, and we are hiring only the best. We have been at it with hiring for months now; and we are really, in a way, cherry-picking our staff. We have people that are coming in from some really high-end places, high-volume places.”

Plus, “We've even got some Stone House favorites that I'll be sticking around, as well.”

The original Olcott Lobster Company opens for the season on May 15.

To learn more about the eateries, visit Olcott Lobster Company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OlcottLobsterCompany and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/olcottlobsterco/.

See also >> Olcott Lobster Company opening Lewiston location May 1

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