Seafood Chain Officially Expands Into Manchester

MANCHESTER, CT — The latest Crab Du Jour restaurant has opened at the Shoppes at Buckland Hills mall in Manchester.

The local address of the restaurant is 194 Buckland Hills Drive. It is occupying one of the traditional outside entrance spaces designed for restaurants at the mall.

Plans for the Cajun seafood chain were announced as early s 2019. The restaurant was initially targeted for The old Hometown Buffet vacancy on Slater Street, but, in 2020, the focus shifted t the mall vacancy.

It was open this week.

Crab Du Jour features home-style seafood served in "generous portions" like crab, crawfish, calamari and lobster.

For those not into shellfish, the po'boys, Cajun wings and hush puppies are among the most popular menu items.

See more on the menus and restaurant here.

The current Connecticut locations include: Manchester, Milford and Bridgeport with "coming soon" status for both a Hartford and Hamden location.

All are to feature dine-in service, officials for the chain said.

So how does a restaurant like Crab Du Jour expand during a global pandemic that has imposed restrictions on the industry?

"Our rapid growth is attributed to not only our national network of partners, but because of our amazing guests who are allowing us to do more with an economy that is giving so little," Crab Du Jour General manager Jeffrey Schroth has said.

The Crab Du Jour restaurant chain consists of about 60 independently owned and operated locations in 12 states. The first restaurant opened in Raleigh, NC, in 2019.

Schroth said Crab Du Jour is, "prioritizing the rapidly evolving health and wellness regulations on the hospitality industry while simultaneously managing their brand expansion" and predicted there will be 130 restaurants open nationwide by the end of 2021.

The chain managed to open four locations in New York City since coronavirus regulations went into effect in March.
Schroth called Connecticut "a great market."