Saltbox lobster roll social draws big crowd ahead of Thanksgiving

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- One of Durham's more highly-regarded restaurants is following through with its traditional Thanksgiving week tradition.

For folks not quite ready to stuff themselves with turkey just yet, the Saltbox Seafood Joint lobster roll social is a welcome sight.

ABC11 cameras captured a sizable, socially-distanced line at Saltbox's Mangum Street location on Tuesday morning. The restaurant's other location on Durham Chapel Hill Blvd., which has a few outdoor tables but no interior dining area, is hosting a lobster roll social on Tuesday afternoon from 12:15 p.m. until 4:15 p.m. This location only serves lobster rolls for the day and the demand is so high, they don't honor reservations or pre-orders.

Saltbox will serve its signature crab grits at its Mangum St. building on Tuesday.

Saltbox is also a Black-owned business that hopes to capitalize on a movement to support Black-owned merchants as the busy shopping season ramps up. Earlier this year, Saltbox got a $25,000 prize celebrating Black-owned businesses.

Chef Ricky Moore has been vocal about wanting customers to follow the state's mask mandates when dining at Saltbox.