When asked what it was like to see his business start in his aunt’s garage and go on to become an Instagram sensation that has feds celebrities and America’s top athletes, Crabman 305 founder Darren Whitaker said it was nothing short of “a miracle.” That miracle is being taken even further with the opening of Crabman305’s first full-service dining restaurant in Downtown Atlanta. Whitaker, who started the Miami-based quick-service seafood restaurant with cousin Johnny Fannin in 2012, is planning a February opening for the Sweet Auburn location in the retail portion of City Walk’s mixed-use development at 171 Auburn Ave. NE.
“Atlanta is a very hot city right now. It’s the new Hollywood. With us being very successful in Miami, why not take it to the next hot city?” Whitaker told What Now Atlanta.
The 2,300 sq. ft location will seat about 50 and have a full bar. Whitaker says he’s excited to offer Crabman 305’s South Florida seafood menu in Atlanta and introduce the area to Florida and island favorites like conch, a tropical marine mollusk that is likened to calamari. Crabman 305 is known for its sexy sauce-covered dishes that include lobster, chicken, shrimp, conch, tilapia, snapper, and of course, crab. Crabman 305 also offers five flavors of chicken wings and sides like crab rice, mac and cheese, and grilled corn. You can get yourself a fat plate for under $20.
Crabman 305 Atlanta will craft a special cocktail menu for their bar and give off fresh Miami vibes with their decor. The company is looking to fill about 20 positions in Atlanta.
“We’re bringing something very new, very hip to this city, along with some good authentic Miami, South Florida seafood,” Whitaker said. “It’s an amazing feeling just to be in the position to create jobs for the community. A lot of the resumes we’ve received came from college kids, so it’s going to be cool to give those students something new to do and a place that’s hip to work.”
Whitaker and Fannin started Crabman305 without any culinary or business school training. After the City ordered them out of their garage-restaurant operation, they moved into the only local restaurant space available in a shopping center in their Opa-locka neighborhood, which has a crime index rating of one, the lowest rating possible out of 1oo. Their goal… make the best damn seafood in Miami.
It’s a goal that made them Instagram sensations now with more than 170,000 followers, many who’ve come from all over the country, and the world, to have a taste of their famous seafood. Celebrities, rappers, and athletes like Fat Joe, Fabolous, and Tamar Braxton, regularly slide in Crabman 305’s DMs asking to be fed. They’ve even had a visit from Chef Gordon Ramsay and have had March 29 declared “Crabman 305 Restaurant Day” by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who presented them with a plaque. Whitaker says he hopes to eventually expand Crabman 305 into Atlanta’s southside.
“We didn’t know it was going to take off the way it did. It’s really a blessing. It was destiny, basically,” Whitaker said. “I want people to understand that if you work hard and stay dedicated, you can win and create anything you want to make for yourself.”
