Sunday marked the last time the fryers bubbled with hot oil, crab cakes were molded into patties, perch was fileted and shrimp battered at the Original Crisfield Seafood Restaurant in downtown Silver Spring.
On Dec. 11, after nearly 80 years of serving classic American seafood fare in Montgomery County, the restaurant announced that it would close Sunday.
On Friday, nostalgic and hungry patrons lined up at the 8012 Georgia Ave. eatery as early as 10:45 a.m. to snag a seat when the restaurant opened for 1:30 p.m. lunch service. James Landis, a managing partner at the restaurant told MoCo360 the outpouring of support from the community has been “unbelievable.”
“We couldn’t even fathom this would happen,” Landis said. “They’ve been wonderful to us and just to see the lines we’re getting … it brings [me] back to the days in the ’70s and ’80s when we did this all the time.”
The Landis family has owned and operated Crisfield Seafood since the 1940s. Washingtonian magazine reported the Landises founded the restaurant in 1945 after buying the space from Preston White, a restaurateur. Lillian Landis, the original owner, operated the restaurant until she died in 1999 and then her grandchildren and cousins took over. Today, James and his brother, grandsons of Lillian, are the primary restaurant operators, all while living in Southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore, Landis said.
Landis explained Friday that he and his brother had been primarily running the business and now in their 60s, they felt it was time for a break.
“The next generation wasn’t necessarily interested in being in the restaurant business anymore and we understand that it’s not an easy business. So, we just decided it was time now,” Landis said.
On the restaurant’s social media, they wrote:
“The Landis Family would like to express our thanks and gratitude to all of our customers, fellow teammates and friends. We have always felt that the restaurant was just another room in our house. We have been proud to welcome you into our home for nearly 80 years.”
Since the news of Crisfield’s closure has spread throughout the community, hundreds of people have lined up to visit and the restaurant has sold out every single night, Landis said.
Patrons from nearby and across state lines have flocked to the restaurant since the announcement, employee Mars Moreno said.
“It’s beautiful to see how many people are here to help us [close shop], give us business again, and show us how much they love it,” Moreno said, looking out at a line of customers Friday morning. “I’m hearing people coming from all over the place, from West Virginia, from the Carolinas. It’s insane.”
‘Hate to see them go’
On Thursday evening, just as the sun set over Georgia Avenue, more than 20 people stood in line outside of Crisfield to wait for a table or counter seat.
At the front of the line was Kamau Lateef and his wife, who had waited more than half an hour to get inside. Lateef, 75, said they came from Temple Hills in Prince George’s County to “say one last farewell” to the restaurant they had been eating at since the ’60s.
“Hate to see them go,” Lateef said.
He noted that he and his wife had not made a trip to downtown Silver Spring since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the news of the restaurant closure and the promise of Crisfield crab cakes, lobster and soup drew the couple to the area again.
Farther down the line Kim Ferguson, 66, of Silver Spring, waited and chatted with other patrons, excited to get crab cakes and clam chowder. Ferguson told MoCo360 she was “very sad” to see the restaurant go.
“Lots of memories here, you know, bringing friends here, friends from out of town who want good crab cakes you bring them here,” she said. Ferguson recalled that in the 1970s and ’80s, when she was a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., she would come to Crisfield often with friends.
“It was a hot spot. You know, a lot of cool people, entertainers would come through here. We would come here before we go to a concert,” Ferguson said.
She noted that when the restaurant closes, “it will be weird to see” that it is no longer at its longtime home on Georgia Avenue.
For Kensington siblings Patrick, 21, and Katie Kabat, 20, Crisfield has been a staple of their upbringing – the place to go for birthdays and other celebrations.
While standing in line Thursday evening, Katie Kabat recalled one birthday dinner at the restaurant, when she exclaimed how much she loved the complimentary Andes chocolate and mint candy that servers would hand out at the end of the meal. Minutes later the server came back with a “whole chowder bowl full” of Andes, she said.
“Whenever I see [Andes mints] in the store, I always remember that,” she said.
Patrick Kabat said he was disappointed to hear about the closure of the restaurant. “It’s unfortunate that its closing brings this sort of crowd. It’s a restaurant that definitely deserved to have more of a crowd throughout the last few years.”
Landis said the restaurant has been appreciative of all the support over the past week.
“It’s crazy to see. Lots of people have come back to visit and let us know they’re here. We try to stick our heads out and say hello. But there’s a lot of the new generation too,” Landis said. “It’s been wonderful. We couldn’t even possibly have expected the community to turn out for us like this.”
Landis estimated around 700 to 750 diners on average have come to the restaurant each day since the closure announcement.
“It’s really warmed our hearts,” he said.
