A Perez family tradition helped inspire a chain of seafood restaurants, which has made Poplar Bluff its newest home.
Mike Perez, owner and founder of Krabby Daddy’s, recently opened his third restaurant, offering seafood and more at 2201 N. Westwood Blvd Suite 7, near Orscheln Farm and Home.
“I could not have anticipated a better reaction,” said Perez of his new and burgeoning business.
Perez said the inspiration for his eatery came during a family vacation with his two now grown sons, then ages five and seven.
“We ate at the Old Bay Steamer Restaurant, that is where they had their first seafood boil and they fell in love with it,” he said.
Perez said since that trip, his family has enjoyed shrimp boils regularly at home and because of that he has gotten pretty good at it.
He wants his clientele to know Krabby Daddy’s does not just offer seafood, they have something to entice almost any pallet, like jambalaya, creole, Cajun Étouffée, sandwiches and a full menu of spirits. Soon, he also intends to incorporate live music for diners to enjoy.
“It has been crazy,” Perez said. “I have never seen anything like this. Poplar Bluff needed something like this here.”
Krabby Daddy’s new location can seat up to 120 diners. The business features a party room, which is available for reservation, and a Bayou table, which is a large dining table equipped to seat up to 10 diners. The table is designed with a hole in the center meant for discarding shellfish and table scraps and can be reserved as an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of seafood delight for large groups and parties.
Krabby Daddy’s launched its first location in 2018 in Festus, and the second location in Cape was not far behind, opening in 2021.
In the near future, Perez says he intends to open more locations and he is currently weighing his options.
“I have had requests to open another location in Arkansas and Paducah,” he said.
Perez said he could not be more pleased with the success he has encountered in his business since opening its doors to the residents of Poplar Bluff and he is excited about his future endeavors in the restaurant industry.