Oct. 8 2002 - WorldCatch Wave - Charley's Crab restaurant, a fixture in Florida's Jupiter harbor since 1988, has closed for good, its parent company said Friday.

"It's a strategic move," said Jami Mabile, spokeswoman for Houston-based Landry's Restaurants, which bought Charley's Crab in February. "They had another crab house nearby."

Landry's -- the No. 2 casual dining seafood chain behind Darden Restaurants' Red Lobster -- also owns The Crab House chain, which has a restaurant in Jupiter near Charley's Crab. Landry's (NYSE: LNY, $20.30) bought C.A. Muer Corp. in February for about $28 million in cash, a price one analyst called "a bargain." Besides the Jupiter Charley's Crab, the deal added two upscale Palm Beach dining spots to Landry's stable of casual restaurants: another Charley's Crab and Chuck & Harold's.

When the sale of the 16 Muer restaurants was announced, Landry's President Tilman Fertitta said the company planned no major changes to the popular local eateries, calling Charley's Crab and Chuck & Harold's "two of the neatest restaurants in America." Company executives declined to comment Friday, referring callers to Mabile, an account executive for Landry's public relations agency.

Landry's two Palm Beach restaurants will remain open, the company said in a brief prepared statement. Both are being remodeled but will stay open during renovations.

Landry's plans to open another restaurant at the Jupiter Charley's Crab site on the Intracoastal Waterway, but Mabile said the company hadn't decided which of its other operations will take over the site.

"It's a helluva property," said North Palm Beach restaurant consultant Richard Lackey. "A lot of interesting things are going to occur." Lackey said he's part of negotiations involving the site and couldn't comment further.

Landry's owns and operates about 275 restaurants in 35 states.

"Hopefully another restaurant will come in there, because that site location is within the town's Riverwalk district, which is intended to be an area where people can shop and enjoy the restaurants and scenic views of the (Loxahatchee) river and the Intracoastal Waterway," Jupiter Town Attorney Thomas Baird said.

"I'll miss the crab bisque," he added.

The company said Charley's Crab employees received severance and job offers at other Landry's restaurants, including the nearby Crab House, until a replacement restaurant opens.

Landry's, which employs 27,000 workers nationwide, reported revenue of $746.6 million in 2001.

(c) 2002, The Palm Beach Post, Fla. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Landry's closes Charley's Crab restaurant for good