Dressed in red, white and blue, U.S. Navy veteran Chris White sat down for lunch on Fourth of July at Donahue’s The Clam Castle in Madison.
“She’s been dreaming about the lobster rolls and I’ve been dreaming about Philly cheesesteak,” he said.
Located minutes from Hammonasset Beach State Park, this shoreline destination has served fresh seafood for six decades.
“We’re knocking out a lot of clams and some wonderful lobster rolls,” co-owner Dave Donahue said, “Our chowder is hot and ready to go. We’re having a great day.”
It is the third season since Donahue’s family purchased the restaurant, which employs a staff of more than 20 people from April through October.
“I have a wonderful team of people that are just putting out great food every day,” Donahue said.
Madison resident Judy Wiley is a loyal customer and has gone since it opened.
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She enjoyed a basket of fried claims while spending the holiday with her daughter, granddaughters, and great grandchildren visiting from out of town.
“The most important thing of anything, even over the food, it’s being with my family which is terrific,” Wiley said.
While families flocked to Hammonasset Beach throughout the afternoon, other beaches like Silver Sands in Milford and Rocky Neck in East Lyme had to turn cars away because they reached capacity, Connecticut State Parks tweeted.
