Restaurant In Manchester That Opened To Much Fanfare Lasts A Year

MANCHESTER, CT — After weeks of operating with sporadic hours, the Crab Du Jour restaurant has apparently closed for good at the Shoppes at Buckland Hills mall in Manchester.

Monday of this week would have marked its 13th month in business to the day.

On Thursday night, the restaurant was dark at the peak of the dinnertime period. The phone first went unanswered and then a prompt said the call could not be completed. A mall staffer answering the phone said the eatery was indeed closed, but could not cite a reason.

The last Facebook post was made by Crab DuJour on Oct. 10 and that was only to wish followers a Happy Columbus Day. Sporadic hours were still posted on the outside door, but a steel cage covered the inside entrance.

Crab Du Jour specializes in cajun seafood and its specialty dish was a large clambake that took up about half a table for two that was prepared inside a plastic bag.

The restaurant's saga en route to its opening in Manchester seemed to last longer than its tenure in business.

The brand first emerged on the business scene in Buckland Hills in July 2019, when a sign popped upon in front of the old Hometown Buffet location in the Buckland Hills commercial district.

In November 2020, Crab Du Jour officials said the restaurant had abandoned that location in favor of a location in the corner of the Shoppes at Buckland Hills, near Barnes and Noble.

It opened at the mall on Sept. 17, 2021. In December of last year, the restaurant hosted a VIP party where town officials and members of the media were allowed to sample the menu.

On Oct. 11, after the fateful Columbus Day post, the restaurant apparently sailed of the edge of the map.