The Smith and Boswell families were the first customers at Saturday’s grand opening. (Reporter photo by Alexander Webster)
By ALEXANDER WEBSTER
alexander@readthereporter.com
It’s no secret that dedicated seafood restaurants are few and far between in Hamilton County, but seafood lovers have been able to get their fix from locally-owned seafood restaurant Slapfish.
Slapfish has grown from a counter inside Broccoli Bill’s to a local seafood restaurant chain known for its lobster rolls. Husband-and-wife duo Mark and Lauren Weghorst operate four locations throughout Hamilton County and northern Indianapolis, with the latest opening Dec. 20 in the Market District in Carmel, 11505 Illinois St., Suite 110.
“It started six years ago in my family’s small grocery store,” Mark said. “We started it there because we had some space, and I told my mom and dad I wanted to try something. Fast forward to today, this is the fourth location.”
The newest location is leased through the Market District in Carmel. Having started in a grocery store, the partnership seemed like a natural fit for Slapfish.
“Market District – this is a special one. We’re partners with them, and they’ve been great,” Mark said. “The first one was in my family’s grocery store, so I thought this would be a great partnership. They’re a lot bigger than my family’s grocery store. We probably won’t have the impact on the Market District that we do on Broccoli Bill’s, but it’s good synergy.”
While Mark handles the day-to-day operations of owning a restaurant, Lauren focuses on ensuring Slapfish gives back to the community.
“I do any events we do. We do a lot of give-back nights for local schools,” Lauren said. “So I handle all of those relationships and most of the community events – just building relationships as we meet people and form those connections. The city of Indianapolis is such a great place. We’ve been lucky enough to be included, and it’s a great way to see old customers, new customers and build our brand.”
Being roughly 750 miles from the nearest coast, the logistics of getting high-quality seafood to central Indiana can be a challenge, and it’s one Slapfish has mastered.
“We buy pretty much all of our seafood from a company called Food America,” Mark said. “They’re out of California, and they help us import the fish. It is very challenging. I have a close partnership with them, and that partnership is a huge part of how this all works.”
Slapfish has four locations: the original in Noblesville off Gray Road inside Broccoli Bill’s, one in Fishers at The Yard, one in Indianapolis on Massachusetts Avenue, and the newest location in Carmel.
For more information go to slapfish.net.
Reporter photos by Alexander Webster
