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Luke's Lobster makes big adjustments in response to the pandemic, with an online ordering system and DIY meal kits, in addition to possibly ending their search for a new Marketing VP. https://edge.winmo.com/hubnews/articles/30465 Also, Pernod Ricard is back in the news as they've named an AOR and made big investments in digital ad spending and new ventures. https://edge.winmo.com/hubnews/articles/31652
COVID-19's impact on the seafood industry hit Luke Holden and Ben Conniff hard; in March they closed their restaurants and laid off 300 employees. Since then, Luke's Lobster has been able to stay afloat by upstarting an e-commerce website, but their focus remains on sustaining the local seafood economy of Maine. These conversations are excerpts from our How I Built Resilience series, where Guy talks online with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating turbulent times.
Luke Holden and Ben Conniff met on Craigslist over 10 years ago and since then have created a lobster empire. From a business standpoint they are incredibly adept, creating a completely vertical operation. When it comes to delicious lobster they are also masters and they give us some great history and details on how to distinguish different North American lobsters. They'll also provide recipes and give information on opportunities to help those on the front lines of the fight against Covid-19.
Luke Holden grew up in Maine, working on lobster boats and in his father's lobster processing plant. But his parents pushed him to find a more stable career, so after college, he moved to New York and got a job in finance. One of the things he missed most about home was lobster rolls, so he decided to open his own lobster shack as a side project. Luke posted an ad on Craigslist looking for help, and linked up with Ben Conniff, a history major with a passion for food but no restaurant experience. Ben and Luke opened a 200-square-foot take-out restaurant in the East Village in 2009. Ten years later, Luke's Lobster has over 500 employees, and more than 40 locations in the U.S. and in Asia. This show was recorded live at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston.
Ben Conniff and Luke Holden the founders of Luke's Lobster hang out with Richard in New York City. The duo talk about what inspired them to start the business and how far they've come over the last 10 years. We find out what a traditional Maine lobster roll is all about. And you wont want to miss the fruit that gets 86ed to throw Richard for a loop.
Whether you're just beginning to build your dream or are already well on your way, Pantheon can help you deliver the best online experience and future-proof your digital presence. Learn more at Pantheon My guest grew up in Maine, working in his family's seafood business. In 2007, he graduated from university and moved to New York City to work as a financial analyst. After a couple years he was earning a great salary, but he felt a calling back to his roots. So at 25 years old he decided to quit Wall Street and open a 200 square foot lobster shack in New York's East Village. With $30k in start up cash, from his savings and a 50% investment from his father, he founded Luke's Lobster. During the past 9 years, he has grown from that first hole-in-the-wall lobster shack to 40 locations across three countries. In this conversation, we discuss: Why you need to treat people the way you like to be treated Finding a co-founder on Craig's List What the most difficult part of entering a new market is Now, let's hack... Luke Holden.
Ben and Luke, the founders of Luke's Lobster, knew how to make a killer lobster roll when they decided to start Luke’s Lobster, a lobster shack in the East Village in 2009. They didn’t know much else. Ben talks through how they were able to build an incredible company with locations all over the globe while keeping sustainability as a top priority. We focus on the early days, discussing tactics and learnings that will be extraordinarily helpful for our early stage founders.
Founder and CEO of Luke's Lobster, Luke Holden, explains how vertical integration -- taking a direct hand in the supply side of his successful lobster shack business -- has been crucial to the runaway success of his passion project.
Ep. 76: Luke Holden, CEO & Founder of Luke’s Lobster || On episode 76 of Sourcing Matters we welcome CEO & founder of Luke’s Lobster – Luke Holden. Luke’s Lobster first opened its doors in the East Village of New York City in 2009. The company brings traceable, sustainable seafood to guests across the country. They work directly with fishermen to hand pick the best seafood, and serve that straight from the source, prepared pure and simple, without the filler. They’ve systematically chosen partners who uphold our commitment to sourcing superior, sustainable ingredients and strive to support other small businesses, many of which are based in Maine or local to the cities where they maintain their Lobsters shacks. BIO: Luke Holden grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – a third-generation lobsterman who started learning the trade at age 13. After attending Georgetown University and beginning an investment banking career on Wall Street, Luke was remiss to find that every lobster roll available in New York was overpriced, drowning in mayo, and diluted with celery. He craved a real Maine-style roll and simply couldn’t find one. In the 10 years since launching, Holden and his partners have worked to vertically integrate the business to insure the highest quality products with guaranteed integrity and provenance. Growing up in the industry has afforded Holden a high level of clout with with the lobsterman, harvesters and fishermen in Tenants Harbor Maine who source his product. We learn that the experience and support that Luke’s father offered from running Maine’s largest lobster processing facility gave their team at Luke’s Lobsters the insight and knowhow to launch a processing facility in Saco. This infrastructure has since expedited growth to now service 30 domestic, and 11 international Shacks, as well as their wholesale account Whole Foods. In our 40 minute discussion we learn more about what this thought-leader is doing to protect his fishery in the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine. We chat about full carcass utilization of the lobster, and about the economic viability of the fishery and its future crop. We discuss product differentiation, and diversifying the offerings of both their producers/ harvesters, and of his growing $30mm business. TuneIn to hear about the future of the iconic Maine lobster. www.SourcingMatters.show
For Merritt Carey, the general manager of Luke's Lobster in Tenants Harbor, Maine, life-changing ideas just pop into her head. Like the time she was out jogging and realized she wanted to quit her job in publishing and become a sailor. Perhaps the more extraordinary thing is that she follows even her most outlandish instincts, which has lead to a fascinating life that includes being part of the first all-female crew competing on an America's Cup boat. On this episode of Speaking Broadly, Carey talks about life on the water and off, and her hopes, dreams and plans for the working fisherman of Maine. Speaking Broadly is powered by Simplecast
The Amazon purchase of Whole Foods has dominated headlines since the merger was announced in June of 2017. What’s the impact of the merger on our food lives and on companies doing business in the retail e-commerce grocery space? On this episode we discuss the biggest food tech story of the year with: Ben Conniff, co-founded of Luke's Lobster restaurants and Whole Foods supplier. Brad Harrison, co-founder and chairman of the board of Greensbury, an online retailer of grass-feed beef and wild-caught seafood. Craig Giammona, consumer reporter at Bloomberg News.
The guys celebrate National Beer Day while talking about board games, Star Wars, how John pranked his old boss, Luke's Lobster, meeting celebrities, Whoopi Goldberg, Golden's Deli, Dr. Strange's visit to JHU Comic Books, Andy Kaufman, Kevin Smith movies, Jason Lee, X-Files, Lauren Ambrose, Walt Disney, John Waters, David Lynch, violent slug sex, WoodWick candles, Batman vs. Superman, Suicide Squad, Horace and Pete, and more! The Super Live Adventure Podcast is hosted by Bryan McGuckin, Chris Sorrentino and John Szeluga. All episodes can be found on iTunes, Stitcher and SuperLiveAdventure.com. Download the free Podcast Source App or Amazon's Super Live Adventure App for Android to access bonus content. This episode is brought to you by Audible. Visit audibletrial.com/superliveadventure for a 30-day free trial and audiobook download. The Super Live Adventure Theme was created by Ezra Donellan and recorded at Red Room Studio, Staten Island, NY.