WIN TICKETS TO SOME OF THE HOTTEST CONCERTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Top Ten Reasons to Love Spondivits (from Creative Loafing)

Call or email today to check availability for your event.  spondivits@comcast.net

Atlanta Classic, Spondivits

4:45 am February 28, 2013, by Jon Watson ( AJC Dining Team member Jon Watson writes about popular eats)

 Credit Becky Stein

Snaking my way through the packed lobby and past the busy hostess, I stop to survey the crowded bar, hoping for an open stool upon which to pounce. I hover, scan and fidget. Realizing that the owner of that nearly empty margarita glass isn’t coming back, I swoop in, politely confirm my suspicions, and waste no time staking my claim.

“Good lord, it is busy in here tonight,” I murmur, reaching for a menu and eyeing the row of beer taps in front of me.

To my right, from just beyond the neighboring shoulder pressed against mine, I hear, “Yeah, man. It is like this every single night.”

Assuming that I’ve lucked out and landed near a regular, I reply, “Oh, you come here a lot? Any recommendations?”

“I live in St. Louis, but I come to Atlanta every week or two, and I come here every night that I’m in town.”

I’m at the bustling bar of Spondivits in East Point, and it is the busiest Tuesday night I’ve seen a restaurant in this city have in a long time. I don’t know what I was expecting from the long-standing seafood joint, but I know that it isn’t this.

When owner Andy Camp, a Riverdale native, first opened Spondivits in 1979 in a small house he purchased in East Point, he was aiming for a fun, casual, coastal seafood bar. Little did he know that planting roots next to what would become the busiest airport in the world would help mold the destiny of his then-humble crab shack.  Built right off the Virginia Avenue exit on I-85, this 34-year Atlanta institution is flanked on all sides by hotels catering to airline employees, conventioneers, white-collar road warriors and weary layover sufferers. And Glenn Gagne, executive chef at Spondivits for the past 22 years, later confirmed what I could quickly tell from looking over the crowd: Nearly every single one of them comes to Spondivits when they are in town.

Let’s be honest — nothing about the selections on Spondivits’ menu will surprise you. They serve exactly what the Marlin on the logo and the beach kitsch on the walls leads you to expect. But it is decidedly fresh, which makes all the difference.  Camp and Gagne pride themselves on the freshness of their seafood, none more so than their king crab claws, Spondivits’ flagship dish. From the early days, Camp decided that if he was going to pinch pennies, it wasn’t going to be on the seafood. Taking advantage of their proximity to the airport, they get their king crab from Alaska whenever it is in season, filling the gaps between seasons with supplies from Greenland.

And there isn’t a single criticism I can levy against my king crab cocktail ($23.95). I still get that primal satisfaction, the sense of accomplishment, as I cleanly extract a thick, perfectly intact, five-inch stalk of meat from the shell. Dunking my prize into melted butter, I barely hear the pair of more-than-tipsy flight attendants I’ve befriended on my left congratulate me as I indulge in the sweet, flakey and certainly fresh crab.

A close second is a cup of Gagne’s World’s Greatest Clam Chowder ($7.95). A Maine native, Gagne took the top prize at the Cape Cod Chowder Festival three years running and Spondivits has been serving his recipe since he took over the kitchen in 1991.

Though I see a lot of giant steaming buckets of crab and bowls of chowder stacked on trays weaving through the crowd, there are just as many rounds of steamed or raw oysters, fish filets and baskets of all sorts of crispy fried seafood stacked with them.

Gagne guesses that about 30 percent of the crowd is made up of locals. Combined with the Hartsfield contingent, that makes for a very eclectic mix of patrons. But it seems everyone is here for the same reason: to have a couple of cold ones, let their hair down, kick their feet up (if there were room), and dig into some good, old-fashioned fresh seafood.

Despite seating only 154 diners, Spondivits churns through a massive amount of food to fuel that crowd. Bolstered by the fact that the kitchen serves the full menu until 4 a.m. six nights a week — and typically has a wait for a table past 2 a.m. — Gagne goes through at least 30 gallons of clam chowder nightly.

But the seafood isn’t what truly makes Spondivits. There is a vibe to the crowd that you can’t manufacture, and there isn’t a more appropriate word to describe it than “fun.” That energy is self-sustaining, generating an atmosphere that is the real draw as they’ve packed in folks in for three decades.

There are a lot of places we can go to get some crab legs and a beer, but I don’t know of any quite like Spondivits.

- See more at: http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2013/02/28/atlanta-classic-spondivits/#sthash.WU68Kuwk.i5LuWRtH.dpuf

Jimmy Hunt:

My name is Jimmy Hunt. I am the director of sales for a manufacturing company in Norcross. About 18 months ago, I developed and built a one of its kind training facility for our industry. The facility has taken on a life of its own and has spawned a profit center for our organization called SPP Pumps University. The word has spread throughout the industry both here and abroad. Since its inception, SPP University has hosted over 250 “students”. The 2 day class we introduced is an all-inclusive experience that includes, hotels, meals, transportation, entertainment and all the appropriate codes and documentation to make this a unique experience for anyone who attends.

I am a salesman by trade and with that comes a spirit of entertainment, loyalty and service. When I moved to Atlanta in 2003, Spondivits quickly became my favorite restaurant. While they were open, I frequented both the Buckhead and Alpharetta stores. When creating the “Atlanta” experience for our incoming students, I insisted that we put Spondivits at the top of the list of restaurants in which to dine. In surveying our students at the end of the course, every one without fail indicated Spondivits was a highlight. In some cases, not just dining, but overall. I don’t know what that says about me and my teaching skills, but it says a lot about you, your staff and quality of service and food.

We order shark platters without fail at every occasion. The sheer size and quality warrants at least a dozen pictures per group. Not only is it a sight to see, the unparalleled quality takes people by storm. The service we receive from you and your staff is second to none. Our mutual loyalty has evolved into that of a text message the day of an event and no, matter the time or the party size, you do everything in your power to accommodate us. Yours is a restaurant with limited seating capacity as you know and the fact that you are so willing to accommodate us has solidified our loyalty for years to come.

On one specific occasion November 13th 2012, I sent you a message in the morning indicating our arrival time of 6:30pm and our party size of 19. As the day progressed and flights landing early etc.., we showed up at 5:30. We had 19 people show up an hour early. That is tough for any restaurant let alone a smaller, very popular one. When we arrived, Darnell and his team went so far as to remove a dining party in the middle of their meal to accommodate a very hungry, motley crew. I was blown away at this level of service and commitment to my business. Naturally, I paid for the small family’s meal as a thank you for their inconvenience. $75 was a small price to pay to satisfy this “thirsty” bunch. The meal went off without a hitch and we were back at the hotel before 8pm.

I want to personally thank you, Darnell, Chef Gagne, and the rest of your outstanding staff for making Spondivits the single best part of our customers experience during their short stay in our great city.
You have my business and everyone else who will listen for as long as we are both in Atlanta.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Sincerely,
Jimmy Hunt
Director of Sales
SPP Pumps Inc

Paul Rogers:
Not only are you one of the best restaurants on the face of the Earth, but you have some of the best T-shirts too. Unfortunately I have literally worn mine down to the threads. I need a new Spondivits shirt, but I am in Ann Arbor, MI and I do not know when I am going to be able to get back down to Atlanta. You guys need to put a store on the website so we have the ability to buy clothing online from anywhere in the world.

Debbie Keegan:
Dined with you and 3 of my best friends on Sunday afternoon and had the best time. Great food, wine (a little pricey) and just an all around fabulous time. It was my first time and I will be back. Our waitress was the bomb – Amariee. Beautiful, attentive and fun. The perfect afternoon. Hope we weren’t too rowdy.
Thanks so much

Barry King (pilot)

Dudes…
Used to chow at Spondivits EVERY TIME I had a ATL layover. I’m a retired Airline Captain and I proudly wore your T shirts all around SoCal for YEARS !! I don’t get to ATL anymore, but I sure brag about your grub to whoever I know who is going down Atlanta way. Your restaurant came up in conversation last week with some old buddies while we reminisced about old times and I was SHOCKED that everyone there had been to Spondivits. I remembered all the memories of taking my crews there for late lunches and dinners when we were in town, damn good memories. Glad to see you’re still doing great.

Best, Barry King, Captain (ret’d)

DRAWING TO GIVEAWAY TIM MCGRAW TICKETS FRIDAY MAY 10TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ticket Raffles (Concerts / Events):  Come in and enjoy Spondivits delicious food and drinks and you have a chance to win tickets to hot concerts / events across Atlanta.

Extensive Wine List
•16 Beers on Draft
•100 Shooters
•Brand Name Liquors for Well
•Minimum 2oz pours in all drinks

The kitchen, almost the size of a thimble, is remarkably efficient in turning out the freshest of oysters, fish, shrimp, gumbos and chowders. The steaks, 100% Certified Angus Beef, are served to specification. The man with the tall chef cap is no novice. Chef Glenn Gagne is a sixth generation chef and the overseer of Spondivits for 13 years. SPONDIVITS is not about attitude, just the best food you will find anywhere. The atmosphere? You can meet people from all over the world or your next door neighbor,” says Chef Gagne.

Voted Best Seafood

-City Search Atlanta

Voted Best Clam Chowder

-New England Chowder Festival

Voted Best Chef Glenn Gagne

-Atlanta Magazine

Voted Best Seafood

- America Online

“The Food, The Atmosphere, The Waitresses, The Drinks…I LOVE it!”

                               - Yahoo Local

“Atlanta’s Best Late Night Dining!”

                               - AJC