"People may hear your words but they feel your attitude." John Maxwell

I love the attitude Jason Evans the owner of The Lobster Shack who stands at the counter wearing a Red Sox Cap, greets customers like old friends then after taking their order ladles out bowls of Maine fish chowder with generosity

He treats the young staff members on sabbatical from college in Europe like family and they respubd in kind. They all act like "owners," taking 100 percent responsability for everything and anything from chit chatting at the front door as you wait five minutes for a table to delivering your order to packaging up take out.

The food itself is excellent and my favorite dish is the fish chowder the recipe for which was given to the owner by his Aunt and Uncle Ken Young and Judy Marie Young an old time Ogunquit lobstering and fishing family. The recipe includes some savory spices. quieting the milky taste of the chowder accentuating flavor making it unnecessary to ad bacon.

I've also enjoyef the steamed clams and lobster with drawn butter. Do you like fish tacos? Try the ones made here with Chippotle Sauce and just enough spice to give it a kick. One portion filled two of us after a cup of chowder.

Im told that President Franklin D Roosevelt used to stop at the Lobster Shack during the years of The Great Depression to enjoy a traditional Maine lobster roll on his moto trip to the family manse in Bar Harbor.

My first trip.to the Lobster shack was over 50 years ago when it was owned by The Maxwells who also owned Oarweeds at the mouth of the cove across from Barnicle Billys. another Ogunquit favorite

I have a vivid memory of my Aunt Lucy taking me to the Lobster Shack one evening at age 7 or 8 or so. I remember the sink in the dining area where people could wash their hands with ivory soap after cracking open a hard shell lobster and dipping it in melted butter

As a young boy i was really struck by the one of a kind sink being placed in the middle dining area for ease of use vs the bathroom I can tell you one thing, people dressed up for dinner were shy about using it. Not sure the sink is servicable today or available to diners.

I have another fond memory of going to Ogunquit at the age of 16, in my $100 Vauxhaul auto and kistenung to the rolling stones Play Paint it Black as i bombed down route 1, past the Ogunquit Playhouse and Knox's campground.

My friend Jim Nollman had gotten a job at Oarweeds, and invited me to a free dinner there as guest of the Maxwell. it seems that the crew had had a very high pressure, very stressful busy night with customers and Mrs Maxwell knew just how to relieve it

She ordered one of the guys to climb the ladder to a loft above and bring down from the cooler a case of chicken. The chicken was barbequed and was served to the staff and friends like me along with copius mugs of beer. i always thought this wad an incredibly wise act on the part of Mrs Maxwell.

The present owner of Maxwell standing at the counter with a baseball camp is cut from the same cloth. He is that rare combination of a very nice person and a good businessman. Robert Hargrove August 2018.