Monstah Lobstah on Indian Rocks Beach to close Sunday for complete rebuild
/Monstah Lobstah on Indian Rocks Beach will be demolished and rebuilt | Monstah Lobstah
A popular Indian Rocks Beach seafood restaurant will close Sunday for a complete reconstruction of its waterfront building.
Monstah Lobstah, located at 125 Gulf Boulevard, will serve its final customers on September 6th before closing Monday, September 7th. The existing 5,605-square-foot building will be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up.
The building, which housed JD’s Restaurant & Lounge for nearly 40 years, sustained damage during the back-to-back hurricanes of 2024. Rather than continue repairing the aging building, Monstah Lobstah’s parent company, Crabby Bill’s Family Brands, has decided to replace it.
“The reality is that we are operating in an aging coastal building that continues to need significant repairs and remains vulnerable to flooding, future storms, and additional damage,” ownership wrote in a Facebook post earlier this week.
“After a lot of evaluation and conversations with our contractor and architects, it became clear that continuing to repair and protect the existing structure would keep us in a cycle of temporary fixes without addressing the bigger issue,” the post continued.
The existing building was constructed in 1949. It operated as O’Neal’s on the Rocks from 1967 through 1985 before JD’s opened the following year | Monstah Lobstah
The restaurant will hold a four-day send-off celebration from Thursday, September 3rd through Sunday, September 6th. Guests will be invited to share memories, messages, and well wishes on one of the restaurant’s walls. Ownership plans to preserve and incorporate that portion of the building into the new restaurant.
Plans call for a newly constructed, multi-level restaurant designed for its coastal setting, with views of both the beach and the Intracoastal Waterway.
The project will also include JD’s Rooftop Bar, a rooftop venue named for the longtime restaurant that previously occupied the property. The space will host live music, dancing, and piano nights, while including historic photographs and preserved pieces from JD’s Restaurant & Lounge.
Permits and approvals are still needed before construction can begin, and the owners do not yet know how long the rebuild will take. They said they will provide updates as permits are approved, construction starts, and a reopening timeline becomes clearer.
Crabby Bill’s Family Brands, owned by the Loder family, purchased the building in 2022 for $3.2 million.
The original building was constructed in 1949. It operated as O’Neal’s on the Rocks from 1967 through 1985 before JD’s opened the following year.
Monstah Lobstah is a New England-style seafood restaurant serving Maine lobster, lobster rolls, clam chowder, lobster bisque poutine, crab cakes, and fried seafood platters | Monstah Lobstah
Following the 2024 hurricane season, the Loder family reopened the property as Monstah Lobstah IRB, a New England-style seafood restaurant specializing in Maine lobster. The menu also includes lobster rolls, New England clam chowder, lobster bisque poutine, crab cakes, and fried seafood platters.
During construction, Monstah Lobstah gift cards, bonus vouchers, and rewards will be honored at the company’s sister restaurants. They can also be saved for use at Monstah Lobstah when it reopens.
The owners said Monstah Lobstah employees will have opportunities to work at other Crabby Bill’s Family Brands restaurants during construction.
“We will not sit by and allow another powerful storm to displace our team and guests or put this property at risk again,” the Loder family wrote. “Instead, we are choosing to make a long-term investment in this location, our team, and the community we have been a part of for nearly 50 years and are proud to continue serving.”
Follow Monstah Lobstah on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
