Green Story

Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine is famous for fresh local fried seafood as well as being a community-minded business that contributes substantially to local initiatives. Owner Michael Landgarten purchased Bob’s from the original owners 23 years ago, updating and modernizing the Clam Hut into an environmentally friendly eatery. Renovations brought landscaping and a layout that was focused on mitigating the business’s impact on the creek.

Bob’s earned the Small Business Volunteerism Award from the Maine governor for outstanding community service. The staff regularly heads off into the community to support local causes. Employees have helped out at the Crossroads soup kitchen in Portsmouth and have fixed-up Fair Tide apartments, a subsidized Kittery residence for working families. Landgarten founded the local chapter of Share Our Strength in 1994, a local hunger relief program and his business supports a long list of non-profits and community organizations including Special Olympics, Mothers’ Against Drunk Driving, the South Berwick Teen Center, Kittery Basketball and local ice hockey teams. “I have always approached my restaurants as active players in the community – this area supports us and we have a responsibility to give back to it, to influence and challenge ourselves and our customers to engage in building a strong sense of place and shared responsibilities,” says Landgarten.