The Crab Cooker restaurant was founded at 28th Street and Marina when original owner Bob Roubian was offered the opportunity to take over a local fish market in August 1951. Bob Roubian, who was born in
Pasadena, served as a
Seabee during the Second World War. In 1955, Roubian and
Cliffie Stone wrote a
rockabilly song called "
The Popcorn Song", proceeds from which helped pay off the restaurant's debts. Roubian died in 2017 and the restaurants are now managed by his son-in-law.
Temporary closure In 2019, The Crab Cooker's original location in Newport Beach was demolished after construction of an adjacent condominium complex undermined the restaurant's foundations, causing major structural damage that resulted in the business's insurers declaring the building to be "unsalvageable." The building's owners decided to demolish it and rebuild on the current site. The last day of business in the original building was September 2, 2018. Construction problems delayed rebuilding by more than a year. In 2021, the new building opened, retaining many of the features and whimsy of the original building, including the iconic fish sign that says, "Don't look up here!". ==Description==