Famous Napeague Clam Bar Stays in the Family, Gets a Refresh

For the first time ever, the famous Clam Bar on Napeague Stretch is under new ownership, but it’s staying in the family.

Last year, Kelly Piccinnini – the daughter of longtime owner Betsy Flinn and a former server at the family-owned restaurant – and her husband, John, purchased the property and 40-year business and are busily implementing their vision for the next 40. The new owners said that while they will continue to honor the seafood-shack’s no-frills legacy, they are adding some creative menu items and fun twists to the brand whose crammed parking lot and iconic red sign are as synonymous with summer as Amagansett’s wind-swept dunes.

To start with, Clam Bar has a new chef and updated menu options. The Piccinninis have also reorganized the front and back of the house, created more customer-friendly features, and introduced a catering arm that will only expand the brand’s already well-traveled footprint.

While Clam Bar is still rolling out classics like New England clam chowder, heaps of steamers, and cold lobster rolls, it’s adding some flair to the fare with entrees like the Clam Bar Patty (salmon, shrimp, scallop, pollock with avocado, lettuce, tomato, sauteed spinach and basil aioli on a roll) and the Sushi Dog, which is a fried sushi roll, topped with marinated salmon tartar, spicy mayo, sweet soy and wasabi sesame seeds; while meant to be eaten like a hot dog, dainty diners have mostly been using a fork and a knife while giving this offbeat creation rave reviews.

Other new dining features at this old-school summer favorite include expanded oyster service, new plating presentations, and, yes, some healthier choices for foodies who want an alternative to Clam Bar’s fried favorites.

“It’s a way to experience food that you’ve been knowing and loving in a better way,” Piccinnini said of the more elevated culinary additions. “We think it makes things more interesting.”

While change is inevitable, it’s only natural that making even subtle adjustments to a successful forty-year brand results in a lot of trepidation for all parties involved.

“It’s funny that when you’ve done something the same way, day in and day out, for this long period of time, and you have a fresh perspective that comes in and says ‘Why don’t you try it this way?’ people’s minds get blown,” said KP.

But the new owners, who now live full-time in East Hampton, made it clear that changes to the Clam Bar are part and parcel of improving the customer experience. Examples of this include shorter wait times for tables, updated restrooms, a view into the kitchen from the counter, new and improved merchandise, and (gasp!) an option to have your lobster roll on a bed of greens rather than a bun!

“I used to beg my step dad with ‘Can’t we just have a salad’? It was like a novelty item 15 years ago … we have a lot of healthier items on the menu now,” Piccinnini said. “And of course you’ve got your mix of fried stuff, too.”

The new owners are also proudly offering for the first time ever a full catering menu serving the East End, and hope to have a one-of-a-kind customized Clam Bar food truck up and running by next summer.

“The reason why the brand has stood up to the test of time is that it’s super authentic and it’s memorable,” Piccinnini said. “You know what you’re getting, there’s nostalgia, people speak to us constantly about oh I was here 25 years ago and now they’re bringing their kids. We have customers that are 70 or 80 years old that just want the classics, and we have teenagers who need a Clam Bar sweatshirt before they head to camp, or just love our chicken fingers, and everything in between. It’s really awesome that we get to be that for a lot of different people.”