Arizona is nearly 2,900 miles from the lobster-rich coast of Maine, but the state has one thing Maine doesnβt have: The countryβs first-ever drive-thru lobster restaurant.
And next summer, Tucson will get to experience Angieβs Lobster, a drive-thru restaurant specializing in the quintessential Maine staple.
The concept is the brainchild of Tony and Roushan Christofellis, the Phoenix couple behind the popular Salad and Go drive-thru-only concept known for its fresh salads and wraps starting at around $6.
Angieβs Lobster is taking its price-point cues from Salad and Go, offering a lobster roll with fries and a drink for $9.99.
The Christofellises launched Angieβs Lobster in 2021, not long after they sold their 40-location Salad and Go chain. They opened the first Angieβs location the following summer in Mesa.
The grilled lobster roll is a popular item on the menu of Angieβs Lobster.
The chain has grown to six locations in the greater Phoenix area with two more set to open in December and January. Tucson will get the first of two planned stores next summer on North Campbell Avenue near East Grant Road; the second will open early next fall on East Broadway and North Wilmot Road, Tony Christofellis said.
The Tucson locations will be among 14 to 15 the couple plans to open in the next year including in Flagstaff, Las Vegas and Christofellisβs native Massachusetts.
βGrowing up, lobster was always a luxury food,β he said. βWe felt there was a big opportunity to make lobster affordable to everyone and not only affordable but flavorful and craveable.β
Christofellis said they are able to keep the price point low by streamlining operations, including having a limited staff and a small retail footprint. They also spend little money on marketing, including serving food in non-branded paper cups and trays.
The company sources its lobster straight off the boats from a wharf they own in Maine, then transport them 35 miles to their processing facility, where the meat is steamed and flash-frozen before being shipped to Arizona, Christofellis said.
Sandwiches range from the classic warm lobster roll with butter to the more inventive spicy honey fried lobster sandwich served with herb mayo and pickle.
Christofellis said a whole lobster worth of meat including the tail is stuffed into a New England style split bun that they get from a bakery in Maine.
βI think our product is awesome,β Christofellis said, comparing the first year of sales with Salad and Go, which made $1 million per store, to first year sales with Angieβs Lobsters, which made $2.7 million per store. βI think our sandwiches are some of the best tasting stuff in the world.β
Angieβs Lobster is an homage to Christofellisβ mother, Angela βAngieβ Christofellis, who died in March 2020. Angela immigrated to the U.S. from Greece and worked in American seafood restaurants in New England before opening her own restaurant.
Tony and Roushan, who met when they were students at Arizona State University, started Salad and Go in 2013 and had 40 locations when they sold the company. It has since grown to more than 100 with locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Nevada.
The couple owns all of its Angieβs Lobster locations and has no plans to franchise, Tony Christofellis said.
