When the owners of Shrimp Shack opened their first restaurant in 1998, their mission was simple: to simply be the best seafood restaurant around. While that may sound like a tall order - and it is - owners Kathy Harshman, Charlotte Fennell and Suzanne Grady have succeeded across the board, offering superior food, service and prices at two convenient locations in Fort Myers.
The newest Shrimp Shack opened in Royal Palm Square in October, joining the recently-renovated and expanded location on Metro Parkway. Both locations have seating for 175 diners, although each does a brisk take-out business as well.
Shrimp Shack has come a long way in a short time. Established in Cape Coral in December, 1998, the original restaurant was little more than a glorified test kitchen with 25 seats, catering mainly to carryout customers. Within months, Shrimp Shack and its winning formula had taken off, literally and figuratively. In 1999, the restaurant relocated to Fort Myers and closed its Cape location.
Since then, fast-moving customer lines have formed almost daily on Metro Parkway, as Shrimp Shack has become an eating destination for seafood aficionados. Now, the new Royal Palm Square location is enjoying similar popularity, thanks to a loyal customer base and Shrimp Shack’s fresh, New England-style offerings.
“Our concept is perfect service and the best food at a fair price,” said Harshman, noting that experienced management is one of the keys to the restaurant’s success. Collectively, the three owners boast more than 60 years in the restaurant industry, and know what it takes to create and maintain a successful dining establishment.
The menu, for example, is deliberately limited to seafood basics to ensure freshness at all times. Although there is no lobster or pasta on the menu, no one is complaining, thanks to a mouthwatering menu filled with fresh shrimp, scallops, grouper, catfish and clams, including clam bellies. Few area restaurants offer this plump, juicy treat, which Shrimp Shack flies in from the world-renowned clam-belly capital of Ipswich, Maine, and serves fried.
Many items also are available broiled, blackened or steamed. Nothing is frozen and everything is made to order. This homemade approach extends to Shrimp Shack’s incomparable seafood chowder and soups, as well as its tartar sauce, secret seasonings, and best-selling hushpuppies. Like the fried shrimp, each made-from-scratch hushpuppy is lovingly hand-battered and breaded before it is cooked.
Shrimp Shack’s menu really does have something for every appetite, starting with the appetizers listed under Anchors Away! They range from Jalapeno Poppers and hot-and-spicy Buffalo Shrimp to cheese sticks, onion rings and crab cakes. Most appetizers run in the $3-$5 range, although a quarter-pound of Alaskan Snow Crab Legs is listed at the amazingly low price of just $4.95.
There are also a number of different salads with chicken or seafood ($5.25-$7.25) and entrees, starting at $8.99. Besides the seafood entrees listed under Royal Ocean Treasures, the menu features Dockside Delights, which include several chicken and pork dishes, along with an 8-ounce ribeye steak. All are accompanied by slaw and hush puppies, as well as a choice of fries or green beans.
Diners also have the option of creating custom dishes by combining two or three different items from either Dockside Delights or Royal Ocean Treasures ($11.99 and $16.99, respectively). In addition, hearty appetites may want to consider the Pirate’s Pleasure (broiled grouper, shrimp and scallops served on a bed of crab meat; $12.99) or the Fisherman’s Feast (a huge basket of fried grouper, shrimp, scallops and clam strips for $16.99).
Although the main menu is available day or night, a lunch menu also is offered from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. It includes a wide array of sandwiches, soups and salads, as well as Shacks Baskets. Baskets feature fried, broiled and blackened seafood, chicken or pork, and are served with fries, slaw and hush puppies. Lunch prices generally range from $5.25 - $7.25.
For takeout, there are a variety of side orders offered by the pint or quart, and one-pound family boxes of seafood, chicken or pork that serve 2-3 people each. Party platters of shrimp also are available for pickup at either restaurant.
Both Shrimp Shack locations feature the same menu, seating capacity and outstanding service. To maintain it, Shrimp Shack always has an abundance of servers on duty, as well as a working manager in the kitchen and dining room.
But there are a couple of important distinctions between locations. For example, the Metro Parkway location has a non-smoking dining room, serves beer and wine only, and has a drive-through window for takeout orders.
At Royal Palm Square, there is no drive-through, although the restaurant offers two dining areas and a full liquor bar (where smoking is allowed). Happy Hour is from 4-7 p.m. daily at both Shrimp Shacks, although only the new location features 2-for-1 well drinks in addition to the 2-for-1 draft beer and wine offered on Metro Parkway.

(Shrimp Shack is in Fort Myers at Royal Palm Square, 1400 Colonial Blvd., and on Metro Pkwy. at the corner of Daniels Pkwy. Both locations are open Monday - Saturday from 10:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. For takeout orders, please call the Royal Palm Square location at 277-5100 or Metro Pkwy. at 561-6817)