AH, SHUCKS
Lee & Rick's Oyster Bar celebrates 67 years in Orlando
it,” the younger Gene Richter said.
Returning to the restaurant was easy for the siblings, who grew up in Lee & Rick’s. Managers would pick them up from school if their parents were busy.
As teens, the siblings made their way behind the bar, shucking oysters and chatting with customers.
Lee & Rick’s is a tradition for families, Blunt said. Not much has changed about the restaurant over the years, from its iconic boat facade to the employees who have worked there for 30-plus years.
Customers are attracted by the familiarity of the windowless restaurant — they get upset when the decor changes.
“If we change too much customers are like, ‘Why did you do that? I remember that when I was a kid,’” Blunt said.
Peel and eat shrimp, fried seafood dinners and other dishes have been added to the menu. The restaurant’s claim to fame will always be its oysters, freshly shucked for each diner at the now 80-foot bar that can seat 50 people.
Oysters from Florida’s Apalachicola Bay, Texas and Louisiana are delivered to Lee & Rick’s four times a week. In season (September to May), that can mean 125-200 bushels of oysters a week.
Oyster prices have doubled since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, but the restaurant has kept its prices low at $15.95 for a dozen and $25.95 for a bucket.
Despite a simple website and Facebook page, word of mouth has kept Lee & Rick’s in business all of these years.
“We try to make sure you have a good time the first time and you’re hooked,” Richter said.