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About Us
A Brief History of the Beginning of the Clam Box
In 1938, George and Anna Gross first owned a restaurant in New York City called Cooper’s Fish and Chips on 44th and Lexington. George did not want to make the long commute anymore from Port Chester so he opened the first Clam Box in Cos Cob in 1939.
The name Clam Box was easily picked because of the front window flaps opened upwards and looked like a Chinese take out box.
George and Anna had a son Arthur, who was also the first owner of the Clam Box restaurants in Greenwich, CT. Arthur started working at the restaurant as a young teenager, then after returning from service in World War II, he resumed work at the Clam Box, along with his wife Priscilla and sisters Doris and Barbara.
In 1940, George opened a Clam Box in Westport, CT after the success of the Clam Box in Greenwich.
In 1965, a third Clam Box opened in Wethersfield, CT owned by Doris and Philip Nussbaum. Doris and Philip ran it for over fifteen years.
(Picture of the Wethersfield Clam Box up on the left)
In 1980, the Wethersfield Clam Box closed.
In 1985, the Westport and Cos Cob Clam Boxes were sold to the Marketing Corporation of America, and they all retired. The Gross’s had a very successful forty-eight year run in the restaurant business.
Nicholas Augustino owner of the Eastside Restaurant brings back the Wethersfield Clam Box on West Main St. in New Britain, CT!
The idea and recipes for the Clam Box were inspired by Nick Augustino working at the old Wethersfield Clam Box business on the Silas Deane Highway. Augustino worked for Philip Nussbaum as a teenager from 1970-1975. "It was an excellent seafood restaurant, one of the best. That’s what inspired me, I learned a lot and I’ve always wanted to open up a seafood restaurant because I know the operation", says Augustino.
In 2018, Augustino purchased the property at 586 W. Main St. that once housed the West Side Tavern. This destination will now be the home of the Clam Box.
The New Britain Clam Box Is Here!
Come and enjoy old school recipes with great service. The Clam Box Brings in fresh seafood off the dock everyday.