A CLAM-shack owner has been forced to change his plans after his billionaire neighbor made waves about the new business venture.
Gabriel Frasca - the Best Chefs in America semifinalist and owner of the high-end restaurant Straight Warf in Nantucket, Massachusetts - has been engaged in a battle with his billionaire neighbor, Charles B Johnson.
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In December of 2021, Frasca and his business partner Kevin Burleson sought out approval to open a Clam Shack as a sister site to Frasca's fine dining restaurant.
Despite some original push-back from neighbors, they received approval from the Select Board in March.
Prior to the meeting, Frasca took to Instagram to ask for support: "So here’s where we are: tonight the Select Board will decide if we can move forward with our plan to operate a fish market and a small clam shack on the harbor next door to @straightwharf."
He went on to explain what he was up against, namely money: "Our opposition is well-funded and often willing to play fast and loose with the facts; we can only counter them by plainly and honestly explaining our intent, and hoping that the Board is moved by our idea."
Frasca seems to be fighting a battle of classes as he continued to dig at the wealth of his opposition: "If you are so inclined, please let your voice be heard - it counts just as much as those on the Forbes List."
This approval didn't stop local pushback as Charles B Johnson filed against the choice, trying to stop the construction of the new dining experience.
The billionaire became the CEO of the second-largest shareholder in the global investment management firm at the age of 24 and is currently in the top 500 richest people in the world, with an estimated net worth of $5billion as of 2023, according to Forbes.
Although typically residing in Florida, Johnson holds a 26 percent stake in the San Francisco Giants baseball team and has a summer home in Nantucket.
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The summer-only Nantucket resident filed to sue both Frasca and the town Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission in May.
He reasoned that the restaurant was approved without consideration for the impact it would have on neighbors.
Following this filing, Frasca, once again, reached out to his Instagram followers, this time asking for recommendations for legal representation.
His followers have been consistently supportive, even directly addressing Johnson.
One user commented: "Really Johnson….you ought to be ashamed. Time to investigate his business practices."
Another follower claims that people from the town are supporting him: "Would love to see some swag to support your cause! It is hard enough to open a restaurant without multiple lawsuits to defend. Nantucket has your back! Wishing you success!"
That community support might have been invaluable in Frasca's ability to move forward with the restaurant.
Johnson's previously filed cease and desist claim failed in April and the whole legal battle has been confirmed as concluded, with the billionaire agreeing to drop his pending lawsuit.
Steve Karp, the head of local Nantucket Island Resorts that's backing the disputed restaurant, met with Johnson to put the matter to rest.
The local media, Nantucket Current, reported that the two men sat down and came to a compromise that requires Frasca to make some changes to his restaurant.
Negotiations seemed amicable as Karp recalled to the Current: "Charlie [Johnson] and I have shaken hands as neighbors and we look forward to the opportunity next summer to enjoy a shared dinner of clams over a beer at Gabriel's new restaurant.”
Specifically, plans have been drawn up and executed to move the establishment's HVAC system to the other side of the building away from Johnson's property.
This change comes after Frasca and Karp had previously conceded to putting up an awning and barriers between the restaurant and neighboring properties.
On the new compromise, Johnson said: "I am very pleased with the resolution Steve has generated and want to give him full credit for stepping up to solve this issue once he learned of its magnitude,”
"I now understand that Steve had not seen how close the equipment was to my property. Once he saw it, he acted immediately and responsibly."
In a statement to the press on Sunday, Fraca shared his relief that the fight was over, but also held that he took issue with how some people went about voicing their grievances.
He told the Current: "Candidly, we take issue with some things that have been said in the press about our project recently, but we think now is the time to focus instead on the areas where there’s agreement or at least a path toward it."
"We have tried to appease the abutters, and hope that these large changes are enough to let us resume construction and move towards an opening as soon as possible."
There are no updates on when the restaurant will be completed and ready for opening.
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According to Frasca, while opening this year would have been ideal, it's unlikely to happen.
Nantucket visitors and residents might just have to wait until next year to see what Straight Wharf Fish Market has to offer.
