Kristian Andersen, a local freelance artist at the town square, lays down the undercoating for the new design at Sea Critters Cafe at Harbor Lights. Connor Cummiskey photo
Downtown GL restaurant’s name changes to ‘Sea Critters Cafe at Harbor Lights’
by Connor Cummiskey
The newly named Sea Critters Cafe at Harbor Lights is facing a dilemma.
How does it attract new customers without alienating its regulars?
To do this, the restaurant, which had been known as “Harbor Lights,” is bringing its classic 1950s and ’60s atmosphere in line with a livelier 21st-century theme through a series of renovations.
For companies in the hospitality business, such as Sea Critters Cafe, keeping up to date with modern living is necessary to stay open.
“It is incumbent upon a [restaurant owner] to recognize that and make changes that are necessary,” consultant Tom Giombetti said. “So we just feel that a makeover is necessary.”
The balance between old and new is already evident in the menu.
“We are putting in our daily fresh catch of the day along with different, fresh seafood items that were never on the menu here,” Giombetti said. “But we are going to maintain some of the traditional items such as the Friday night fish fry that is quintessential with the state of Wisconsin.”
One part of the restaurant’s overall menu change is the addition of its Little Critters kids’ menu.
“We feel confident that grandparents can bring their grandchildren in here,” Giombetti said. “We feel confident that parents can bring their children in here. We feel that with some of the menu items and the ambiance of the interior it will attract multiple generations.”
The restaurant is going through this transformation in a way that will be most appealing to the majority of its customers, both old and new.
“We want the changes to be subtle, but we also want them to be something positive that will go along with our décor and our menu,” Giombetti said.
The atmosphere of the restaurant will remain similar so regulars can be comfortable.
“The underlying presentation will be the same,” Giombetti said.
The new concepts that are being integrated into the restaurant are coming from another Sea Critters Cafe in Florida, which also is run by the owners of the restaurant in Green Lake.
“We are incorporating the menu items that are successful to the extent that when people from
Wisconsin come down to eat at our restaurant they love it,” Giombetti said. “So now they will not have to travel all the way down to [Florida].”
Though the design of the restaurant and its theme are changing, the service aims to remain as good as usual.
“We are going to deliver our menu items in the finest fashion that we know how to do,” Giombetti said.
The changes are being done in phases and they are organized primarily by room — with the dining room, the lounge and the exterior all being their own phases.
These steps also include the repainting of the entrance and the interior room to an aqua and yellow color scheme. As well as putting in new hardwood floors and pulling up old carpet.
“We are doing the renovations in phases because we want to keep the restaurant open,” Giombetti said.
Overall, Sea Critters Cafe at Harbor Lights is hoping to strike that successful balance between maintaining its roots and accepting change.
“We certainly plan to cater to all our clientele that we have dealt with in the past and as we market this restaurant, we hope to bring new customers in and perhaps [for] this [to become] a destination restaurant,” Giombetti said.
The restaurant is located at 506 Hill St. in downtown Green Lake. It is open seven days a week, starting at 3 p.m.
The Green Laker 