WHO WE ARE

Michael Landgarten came to the restaurant industry after graduating from Bowdoin College in 1980.  In 1986 he purchased Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine from owner Robert “Bob” Kraft.  Known for its enthusiastic, dedicated staff and strong teamwork ethic, as well as a commitment to local ingredients & traditional New England seafood recipes, Michael committed to a fresh take on the shack’s classic roots. 

 

In 2006, Michael opened Robert’s Maine Grill across from Bob’s Clam Hut, a quintessential Maine dining experience focusing on ingredients from small farmers and local artisans.  Michael continued his focus on a workplace of energized and empowered employees to create a distinctly Maine identity at his restaurants.  Committed to community involvement, Michael and Robert’s helped to spearhead the revitalization of Great Bay into a viable oyster farming resource, created weekly Community Suppers benefiting scores of local non-profits, sponsored Kittery’s fledgling farmer’s market and partnered with Kittery’s Greenlaw Gardens.  

 

In 2012, Michael and two partners purchased the 10,890-sf former masonic temple and bank building in the downtown area of Kittery, Maine, and the Kittery Foreside.  His development work with his partners in the revitalization of the Wallingford Square building has brought new, diverse retail shops, restaurants and a bar, all carefully curated by Michael, to the Kittery Foreside.  His project also delivered the critical mass of activity that has truly transformed the whole Kittery community.  What was once a forlorn village center of a few shops and restaurants is now a vibrant “downtown”. 

In this newly revitalized area, Michael opened Lil’s Café, featuring high-end coffee, tea, pastries and assorted sandwiches restoring the Kittery Point Foreside area along with helping local artisans and shops flourish. 

 

Over decades, what started as a side project to support his love of music turned into a cherished career.  Michael enhanced Bob’s Clam Hut with a new commitment to sustainable practices, while continuing to preserve Bob’s charm and mission with consistently great food and fast, friendly service.  Michael’s hard work and family-oriented methodology to building a positive staff culture earned the restaurant numerous accolades, including Boston magazine’s “Best Clam Shack in New England” award in 2008 & 2009. Under his ownership, Bob’s was also named as one of the top forty restaurants in the U.S. by Forbes magazine.  

 

Michael founded Share Our Strength’s (SOS) Taste of the Nation event, a culinary fundraiser, in Portsmouth in 1994 to further the organization’s mission of ending childhood hunger. He was nominated as Humanitarian of the Year by SOS the next year and in 2011 he initiated the Kittery Block Party, a celebration of local art, culture and food that fosters lasting relationships and strengthens the community. 

 

Michael actively campaigned during the 2016 election in support of Maine’s Question 4 to increase the state’s minimum wage, which was successfully approved by voters. As a RAISE (Restaurants Advancing Industry Standards in Employment) Steering Committee member Michael was part of the team that created the Sanctuary Restaurant affiliation promoting “A Place at the Table for Everyone” standing up for all immigrants and vulnerable workers and guests. 

 

In addition to building his hospitality business, Michael has had a side business coaching executives, working with small companies, schools and non-profit organizations specializing in leadership development, and strategic planning in the creation of more democratic organizations.  In 2003 he wrote “Lessons from the Hut” which was published in OD Practitioner and presented at National OD Network Conference.  Michael has studied Organizational Development at National Training Labs, Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and Gestalt International Study Center.