Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto |
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Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto, historic seafood restaurant.
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1890s |
| Closed | 2018 |
| City | Berkeley |
| State | California |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 37°52′5″N 122°17′59″W / 37.86806°N 122.29972°WCoordinates: 37°52′5″N 122°17′59″W / 37.86806°N 122.29972°W |
Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto was a very famous seafood restaurant in Berkeley, California. It was located at 1919 4th Street. The city of Berkeley even named it a special landmark in 2001. A plaque was put at its entrance in 2004 to celebrate this.
How Spenger's Began
The story of Spenger's started with Johann Spenger. He moved to California from Bavaria in the 1860s. He settled in West Berkeley. His first building was both his home and his business.
Johann Spenger began his career as a fisherman. He used a hook and line on Lake Merritt. The restaurant itself started small in the 1890s. It was just a simple clam stand.
- The first menu included tasty clam chowder.
- They also served baked beans and fish dinners.
- You could even get a beer for only ten cents!
Growing Bigger and More Famous
Johann Spenger's son, Frank Spenger, took over the business. In the 1930s, he opened a full restaurant on the ground floor. As more people loved Spenger's, they added more dining rooms and bars.
Many famous people enjoyed eating at Spenger's. Local people loved it too! Frank Spenger was also a fisherman, just like his dad.
Frank's son, Frank "Buddy" Spenger Jr., made the restaurant truly famous. He managed the business for a long time, from 1940 to 1999. By the 1950s, Spenger's was serving a huge amount of fish. They claimed to serve about 3,500 pounds of fish every day! This was more than any other restaurant west of the Mississippi River. For many years, Spenger's paid more taxes to Berkeley than any other restaurant.
When Buddy Spenger was 83 years old, he sold the restaurant. He sold it to McCormick & Schmick's. This is a seafood restaurant chain from Portland, Oregon.
Making It New Again
After McCormick & Schmick's bought Spenger's, they closed it for a year. They spent $5 million to make it new and better.
- They replaced the old electrical system from the 1930s.
- They added strong steel beams to the brick walls. This was to make the building safer in case of an earthquake.
- The kitchen got the biggest makeover. It was completely redone with all new appliances.
The End of an Era
After 128 years of serving delicious seafood, Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto closed suddenly. This happened in October 2018.
