When people pass by Gulf Shrimp in Southington, they stop. It’s hard to resist taking a photo with the 5-and-a-half foot tall lobster statue that stands out front.
But no one is taking photos with the massive crustacean now. Someone lobsternapped it.
A few weeks ago, a customer noticed that the lobster that has stood outside 240 Atwater St. in the Plantsville section of Southington for the last eight years was missing and told an employee.
The worker assumed that Camille Simoneaux, the co-owner of Gulf Shrimp, had taken it home to paint it, as she has in the past, Simoneaux said.
But, that was not the case.
Simoneaux said they realized over the weekend that the 150-pound fiberglass lobster was missing and called police to report the theft.
“It was a little comical to report a missing lobster. I was waiting for the chuckle on the other end. They took it seriously and knew exactly what I was talking about because so many people have seen it and noticed it when they drive by,” Simoneaux said.
The cost of the statue is estimated at around $2,000.
More importantly, the lobster is a landmark in the community and the owners want it back.
“It’s our landmark. People would know they could get fresh seafood and lobster here. We were attached to our lobster and we would like him back,” Scott Wishart, the sales manager, said. “It looks bare to me. we want our lobster back.”
Anyone with information about the lobster theft should call the Southington Police Department at 860-621-0101.
Photo Credit: Gulf Shrimp Company