LONG BEACH, Calif. – The San Pedro Fish Market is taking orders.
The newest Long Beach location opened in February and hasn’t yet had an official grand opening.
San Pedro Fish Market started in the 1950s. Back then it had a different name. From humble beginnings a family of six restaurants sprouted.
The founder’s grandson, Michael Ungaro, is running the show these days.
“Failure’s never, ever been in our vernacular. We always find a way to survive,” said Ungaro.
Ungaro made the tough decision to furlough most of their 400 employees. He’s also temporarily closed two of his restaurants.
To keep some business alive Ungaro dropped the price of their iconic shrimp trays. What is usually $40 to $50 you could get for only $20.
“Never been this long before, we have been breaking even to losing money now since the first, second week of March, so two months, living off savings and breaking even,” said Ungaro.
The price is now up to $30, which is still below normal, but Ungaro says this is a good sign. People are buying.
Perhaps the greatest godsend: Ungaro finally got the Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government. The application process started more than a month ago. This money can cover things like payroll and rent.
“Everybody did a virtual high five once those loans came through. They’re very excited, almost didn’t believe it,” said Ungaro.
With reopening on the not too distant horizon a new concern is surfacing: how to safely spread out the people who dine in. The Long Beach location currently seats 450 people.
To lower that number could ultimately lower the restaurant’s profitability, making it that much harder to stay afloat selling seafood.