by Andrew Mellman » Mon Jul 16, 2018 9:02 am
Not sure about the Bluefin connection . . . Bluefin is a subsidiary of Creation Gardens, and if you look up their catalogue they have a lot of frozen tails, bodies, etc., but no live lobster listed.
At the time of closing talked to one of the workmen dismantling the tanks, and he claimed that they were having trouble maintaining the stock of 3lb+ lobsters that was their specialty. I found this hard to believe, as (according to newspapers) there was a glut of lobster on the market leading to dropping prices. I think the price drops were more important, leading to pricing competition from domestic (ie: Maine) lobster shippers who didn't have to maintain a separate shipping facility in Louisville. The whole reason Clearwater was here is that after 9/11 they were losing too many lobsters, as every shipment originating overseas (Canada) had to be inspected by customs, so they tanker trucked loads to Louisville as the UPS air-freight HQ (each tanker inspected once with lobsters in water, rather than each package inspected with dry lobsters).
We've been getting tails from Costco . . . huge, very expensive (tho less than most retail or restaurants), but wonderful. Unfortunately, they don't stock them 100% of the time.
Andrew Mellman