Roger Berkowitz: Seafood Tycoon. Industry Mogul. Fisher King. The President & CEO of Legal Sea Foods got his start in his grandfather’s fish market. Since then, Roger took the helm and grew the company into the empire it is today, boasting 32 restaurants along the East Coast. His first Downtown Crossing location and the 33rd restaurant in his wheelhouse, Legal Crossing (LX), is a totally new, unique concept designed exclusively for Millennium Place. Set to open early this year, we sat down with Roger to pick his brain about the new restaurant, business, and Boston.

MP: What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a businessman in the restaurant industry?
RB: You’ve got to continue to evolve. You can’t sit on your laurels and assume that the same thing that’s worked will continue to – tastes, consumer behavior and economic influences change.
 
MP: So, is that the secret to Legal’s growing success?
RB: Don’t get me wrong, we’re very proud of our 60+ year history and our growth, but we maintain a healthy discontent…we know that we’re only as good as the last meal we served. 
 
MP: The new restaurant, Legal Crossing (LX), is a totally new concept. What makes it so distinct from other Legal projects?
RB: Yes, Legal Crossing will be a unique, one-off concept. But it’s spawn from Legal Sea Foods’ commitment to quality and freshness. I like to say that Legal Crossing shares the same DNA as Legal Sea Foods and our other concepts, but it’ll offer a very singular experience. The food and beverage menu will be different; the design will be different – all developed exclusively for LX. Guests who want Legal Sea Foods can dine down the street at our Park Square location. 
 
MP: We know you’d been thinking about opening a Downtown Crossing location for some time. What cemented your decision to do it at Millennium Place?
RB: Well, I have a thing for Downtown Crossing. My grandmother was a seamstress at the old Kennedy’s department store. As a kid, she’d take me downtown by street car to buy me clothes with her employee discount. But to me, the trips were so much more than that. We’d take in a movie at the old Paramount or Mayflower and go to Schrafft’s for one of their great ice cream sundaes.  

MP: That’s such a great story. So Downtown Crossing has always been a favorite of yours?
RB: Absolutely. I developed a true affinity for the area on those trips. And perhaps that’s why I’m especially looking forward to opening a restaurant in Downtown Crossing. And while I’d been looking in the area for a space, nothing was right…until I saw the plans for Millennium Place. It promised to be a one-of-a-kind residential property in Boston and I wanted to develop a unique concept different from anything we’d ever done before in an area that’s rich with history and on the cusp of a vibrant renewal. I knew it could be a great partnership. And for me, personally, I look forward to getting back into Downtown Crossing. 
 
MP: Well, the city itself has an amazing culinary scene. What are your favorite dining experiences in Boston other than Legal Sea Foods?
RB: Ahh…let’s see. In no particular order…If I’m in the mood for pizza, I’ll go to Picco. Rick Katz is absolutely fanatical about his dough. And the ice cream he makes is great, too. When I’m in the mood for Japanese food—which is quite often—I go to Oishii. I think it’s the best around. Ting Yen and his team always provide a great dining experience. And one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Boston is Hamersley’s Bistro where my friend Gordon Hamersley continues to set the bar. If you’ve never had an opportunity to try his famous roast chicken, you don’t know what you’re missing!
 
MP: All masterful choices, of course. Let’s switch gears a bit. You’re involved in so many great nonprofit and sustainability projects. How does this work influence you as a restaurateur?
RB: It’s always been important to us to positively contribute to the communities in which we operate. We’re a family-owned company and so naturally we find that most of our philanthropy is targeted to kids and families. We just finished our 19th annual Holiday Gift Cod program which benefits Boston Children’s Hospital. Since 1994, we’ve contributed a portion of proceeds from holiday gift card sales in MA to Dr. Leonard Zon’s cutting-edge zebrafish research, who interestingly enough share 2/3 of their genes with humans, so they play a big part in medical research. Dr. Zon is a world-renowned researcher and he’s using zebrafish to help kids with diseases like cancer. I’m proud to say that Legal Sea Foods has made a cumulative gift of well over $1M and we’re looking forward to contributing more to this great Boston institution.

MP: Wow! That’s fantastic. So naturally, that commitment to serving the city is translated into your restaurants.
RB: It’s in our DNA. And much of what we do is behind the scenes. We buy only the best quality fish we can and then we go beyond that to ensure the healthfulness and safety of what we put on the plate.  We have a laboratory at our Quality Control Center where we test our shellfish and fish for purity.  At our restaurants, we’re known for going above-and-beyond for our guests with allergies.  We introduced an extensive gluten-free menu back in 2005, way before it became somewhat trendy to do so.  And we totally eliminated trans-fats from our restaurants in 2003, years before it became a national issue.    
 
MP: Okay, one last question. A day in the life of Roger Berkowitz: what’s it like?
RB: First thing in the morning, I review sales and recaps from the previous day and I check email. Upon arrival to the office, I touch base with various teams (culinary, beverage, operations, marketing, finance, etc.) to see what issues may have popped up and what projects are being worked on. And then I attend to nagging paperwork for different licenses and permits. I thrive on the constant variety that occurs throughout the day. Each day is different and things fluctuate on almost an hourly basis. I never have to limit my focus to just one thing. On the flip side, the fish and restaurant business is labor intensive, tension-ridden and frustrating at times. But that makes it exciting.  So both parts in tandem are great.

Roger will join us for a FIRESIDE CHAT and give us the dish on his inspiration behind Legal Crossing (LX). Stay tuned for scheduling information.