The Jack Baker Story

Jack Baker opened the very first Lobster Shanty over 30 years ago in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.

As the son of a fisherman, he learned all about the sea from his father, Barkos with whom he fished on weekends and summers throughout high school. It was after graduating from high school that Jack had an opportunity to sail south to Florida and deliver a private boat to Palm Beach.

Upon his arrival, he took a job as a busboy in the Biltmore Hotel and while helping out in their kitchen, Jack discovered his talents as a chef.

He stayed in Florida for several years and it's there that he met his bride-to-be, Virginia. After getting married, they traveled to Point Pleasant Beach where they resided until Jack was called into the service. His tour of duty ended in 1955, and Jack returned home to resume fishing with his father.

Soon after returning, a decision was made to open a small four-table restaurant on the side porch of their home. After a busy day of lobstering, Jack and his father would cook their catch in an old clothes washer that had been converted to a gas-fired cooker. As word got out, people flocked in to buy their fresh lobsters.

Business grew and grew and eventually the old clothes washer was traded in for a bathtub which was also converted to a gas-fired cooker. The porch could no longer accommodate everyone, so a building was constructed on what is now the present site of the Lobster Shanty in Point Pleasant Beach.

Many lobsters, cookers, and years have passed and the Jack Baker tradition of serving the best in seafood continues. It is for this reason we proudly state that Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty & Wharfside is "the place that seafood lovers (like you!) made famous". Thanks !!!