Lobster Gram Review: Lobster Stores

Lobster Gram began in 1987 as a charming garage-based operation by Dan "The Lobsterman" Zawacki, growing from a simple Maine lobster delivery service into an 18,000-square-foot operation that shipped over a million lobsters. While their early success and recent media coverage - including features in Oprah's "O" magazine and the Wall Street Journal - is impressive, we're somewhat wary of their 2017 acquisition by Fortune International. We've noticed that when small lobster and seafood companies get gobbled up by bigger fish, quality and service often take a dive.

Wide variety of lobster tails

As one might expect, Lobster Gram's product lineup centers heavily on lobster. Something they offer that we don't often see is an extensive selection of tail variations sourced from Maine to South Africa to Australia. Beyond their lobster offerings, you'll find a seafood selection including crab, scallops, shrimp, and mussels. Lobster Gram shares website space with one of Fortune International's other acquisitions - D'artagnan, which deals in premium meats and games. So, when shopping for lobster, you might run into some non-seafood products, too.

Full lobster and seafood dinners sold here

Like many lobster stores, Lobster Gram's menu includes meal package options like surf and turf combinations, lobster meat dinners, and full seafood towers. For those planning special occasions, they offer gift-oriented selections including gourmet packages like paella sets, and they round out their offerings with sides and both full-sized and single-serving desserts.

$47.50 for a 1 lb Maine lobster

You can't purchase individual lobsters here. Instead, you'll need to choose the number of people you're serving (with the minimum set at 2) and the weight of the lobster(s). A basic package for two people including Lobster Gram's smallest 1-pound lobsters starts at $95 - and assuming each person gets a lobster to themselves, that's approximately $47.50 per lobster. That price tag is about $30 higher than Lobster Gram's competitors for what you get. While the package does come with extras like lemon, butter, and cooking instructions, we don't think those additions come close to justifying the significant price difference.

One-size-fits-all return policy

D'Artagnan's general food return policy apparently is meant to apply to Lobster Gram's products as well. It offers a 5-day freshness guarantee and replacement options if they make a mistake. You'll need to report any issues within 24 hours, and, as is typical for online lobster and seafood retailers, they don't accept returns due to the perishable nature of the products. However, if Lobster Gram wants to compete with specialized lobster retailers, we'd expect to see more specific policies addressing common lobster-related concerns like DOA crustaceans or damaged claws.

Flexible delivery options (with exceptions)

You can schedule your Lobster Gram delivery up to 30 days in advance, with delivery available Tuesday through Saturday. However, Saturday delivery isn't available for all addresses, and FedEx holidays can affect delivery dates. During severe weather, Lobster Gram may delay shipments to ensure product quality (because nobody wants a weatherbeaten lobster).

Shipping costs add up quickly

You'll want to factor shipping into your budget when ordering from Lobster Gram, as there's no free shipping threshold. Shipping costs are calculated based on your order's weight, delivery address, and chosen delivery date. In our testing, even a cart totaling nearly $500 still incurred a hefty $100 shipping fee (ouch!).

Disappointed customers

How does Lobster Gram fare when compared to its rivals in the customer service department? Not well. We found zero reviews on their Trustpilot listing, three 1-star reviews on their Better Business Bureau page, and an average 2.7-star rating on their Yelp page from around 90 reviews. (However, their BBB page did somehow carry an "A+" grade.) Most of the reviews on Yelp are a couple of years out of date and mention issues like tough pre-cooked claws, tasteless bisque, and dead lobsters.

Lobster Gram is a dud

Between the premium pricing for a subpar product, expensive shipping, and a website that shares elbow room with another brand, we can't recommend Lobster Gram. It seems like our initial suspicions were correct: when a family business gets bought out by a corporation, it's probably time to take your business elsewhere.

Learn More  ➜

On the Lobster Gram website