Krab Kingz now open in Shrewsbury

Krab Kingz Seafood, the second metro location to open this month, celebrated its grand opening yesterday at 7740 Watson in Shrewsberry. The metro area’s first Krab Kingz opened at 5860 Delmar on September 8. The restaurants are owned by two different franchise groups.

Krab Kingz is the latest of a flurry of local eateries that specialize in seafood “boils”—shrimp, crab, crawfish, mussels, lobster, or a combination, as well as potatoes, hard boiled egg, pieces of cob corn, and sausage, traditionally cooked in the same pot. The bounty is served in buckets, on platters, or dumped directly onto the table, New Orleans-style. Three other restaurants specializing in seafood platters that have opened locally in the last year: The Mad Crab, Shell City, and Seafood by Crushed Velvet...and of course there's The Peacemaker.)

Asked about the reason for the sudden seafood trend, Les Maginley, co-owner of the Watson Road location, said demand for south Florida- and New Orleans–style seafood is on the rise and that metro St. Louis is a hungry market for all types of seafood restaurants. The closing of many Joe’s Crab Shack locations across the country also left a hole in the steam pot market.

Maginley added that Krab Kingz’s product is extra flavorful, a result of the seasonings added in after the boil. General manager Karli Merisotes also noted that five varieties of butter sauce enhance the flavor and serve as an insulator to keep the product hot. (Original butter is complimentary; additional flavors are 79 cents each.)

Krab Kingz began as a small food cart in a furniture store parking lot in 2015. Today, Maginley says there are 15 or so locations across the country, a combination of stand-alones and food trucks.

Maginley isn't new to the industry; before Krab Kingz he managed a $100 million corporate food service operation.

The franchise is unusual in that the menus, the prices, and even the recipes vary slightly from location to location. On Watson Road, Maginley and his staff offer the exact same recipe as his successful KC Broadway location. The menu is simple: Three platters at lunch and four at dinner, plus options to add on to any of them. The price is reasonable for the veritable mountain of food: less than $15 per person at lunch and $13–$27 at dinner.

Maginley explains that 85 percent of his Kansas City business is takeout, but that number varies from store to store. (Some are take-out only.) The Watson Road location (the former China 1) seats 30, but expansion is possible if the need arises.