WAREHAM – A piece of Wareham history is set to be demolished on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

For the younger generation of Wareham residents, the building at 3013 Cranberry Highway was formerly known as “the Wareham 99,” but an older generation would know that this location was once “The Lobster Bowl.”

Future generations will know it as Reign Car Wash, approved by the Zoning Board at a meeting on Nov. 10, 2021. According to Wareham’s Director of Planning & Community Development Kenneth Buckland, the demolition is just the first step, and Reign Car Wash will still need a building permit approved for the new car wash itself.

In 1954, Greek immigrants Andrew, George, and Michael Caradimos founded the Lobster Bowl in the original building as their third restaurant endeavor. They also owned The Light House Restaurant and The Royal Lunch, two other food establishments that were once located in Wareham and Onset, but that also no longer exist.

Jameson Devereaux, grandson of Andrew Caradimos, said that when the Lobster Bowl opened, it quickly grew to be a mainstay in Wareham family dining, and the restaurant continued on as a family affair with multiple generations working at the restaurant until it closed after 47 years of service.

Devereaux was only 7 years old when the restaurant was converted to a 99, but he paints a vibrant picture of the Lobster Bowl in its heyday, recalling a “legendary seafood buffet,” wedding receptions, high school reunions, and a cast of celebrities that came by to dine, including Buddy Ebsen, William Shatner, Jim Nabors, and the boxer “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler.

Devereaux said the place was known for its Saturday-night prime rib dinners that exemplified the atmosphere and character of the restaurant, filling it with hungry guests.

“I remember when my mom would take my brother and I there to visit our dad when he would work,” Devereaux recalled. “It smelled of fireplaces, steak, seafood and cigarettes, it reminded me, and still does, of a high-class men’s smoking lounge. When I smell that today, I like to think it's my grandfather greeting me and I know he’s still with me.”

Devereaux’s grandfather, Caradimos, passed away in 2006 at age 87. He emigrated from Vithos, Greece to the United States with his brothers when they were young.

“They were hard-working men who worked hard to have the legacy they left,” Devereaux explained. “My grandfather, grandmother, uncles and aunts all had a dream and they worked hard to make that dream a reality.”

Now, the popular restaurant and legacy of Devereaux’s family will be just another part of Wareham’s history.

“Hopefully many people have stories of first dates, first jobs and nights of dancing that will keep the memory of the Lobster Bowl alive,” said Deveraux, adding that his family would like to thank all of those that were part of the restaurant’s history, including the the “many loyal diners and vendors over the 47 years.”