Sam King, co-founder and chief executive of King’s Seafood Company, said he started working in his father’s restaurant as soon as he was old enough to be a busboy.
Mickey King and his brother Lou began opening King’s Coffee Shops in 1945, and Sam King said that he would follow his father around at work and learned a lot “through osmosis.”
King was about 15 years old when he got his work permit. He bussed tables during major holidays and stayed late even after his dad had already gone home.
“I really enjoyed being able to work and have a little responsibility,” King told the Business Journal.
His learnings and dedication led King to start his own restaurant venture with his late cousin Jeff in 1984, which has grown into 23 locations across six brands and generates $200 million in annual revenue. King said he uses the same value system his father instilled in him.
“Designs change, new seafood products might change or cooking styles, but the foundation of good service, good food is still strong today, as it was 50 years ago and will be 50 years forward,” he said.
King’s Seafood Co. earned the Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Award in the large company category on June 11.
“You just never know how far a good idea is going to take you,” King said.
Time to Get Back
King worked at his father’s restaurant chain until the six remaining locations were sold to Tiny Naylor’s Inc. in 1982. He ran all the restaurants during the transition.
Sixteen months later, Tiny Naylor’s was touring a Long Beach restaurant space for sale. The company passed but King decided to call up his cousin Jeff King and pitched running their own restaurant.
“It’s time for us to get back and do our own thing,” King told his cousin at the time.
“I actually learned a lot during my time at Naylor’s, but it wasn’t feeding me the way it does when you run your own business,” he added.
They signed the lease the day before Thanksgiving in 1983 and opened their first restaurant, 555 East, the next summer – six weeks before the Olympics began. The steakhouse is still open today.
With the Kings’ next two restaurant concepts, King’s Fish House and Water Grill, they decided to go all-in on seafood.
Nowadays, King’s Seafood owns and operates 23 restaurants across six brands including King’s Fish House, Water Grill, Pier Burger, 555 East, Lou & Mickey’s and Meat On Ocean.
King’s Seafood in April bought the O Sea restaurant in Old Towne Orange founded by Mike Flynn nearly five years ago.
Flynn, who previously worked for King’s Seafood at various Water Grill locations, joined the company as vice president of culinary & brand development for its King’s Fish House division.
There are no plans to reopen the earlier location or a new O Sea restaurant, King said. He added that Flynn will be using elements from O Sea in his new role. The founder’s work at O Sea is what led King to invite Flynn back into the fold.
“Those talents – they don’t grow on trees,” he said.
Carrying the Torch; In-House Distribution
King’s two sons, Michael and Stephen, currently work at the family business.
“I never wanted to push them into the business,” King said, “but obviously I hoped that they – one or two of them, or all – would be interested in carrying the torch.”
Michael King, his oldest son, started helping at King’s previous Fish Camp restaurant in Huntington Beach, which ran from 2010 to 2022.
The younger King eventually transitioned to King’s Seafood Distribution (KSD), the family’s in-house distribution operation they launched in 2008. KSD was a result of the 2007 to 2008 financial crisis when Sam and Jeff King decided to handle the process of sourcing and supplying fresh fish to their restaurants on their own.
The almost 15,000-square-foot facility in Santa Ana handles about 1 million pounds of fish per year. King said he recently bought a 7,000-square-foot building nearby to expand the operation and “try some other things.”
Dealing directly with the source saves money and gives the owners full control of their restaurant supply, according to King. They are also able to buy seasonally and be at the forefront of mitigating any potential problem.
“Price is negotiable. Quality is not,” King quoted. “Quality is what really makes your brand last through the years, and we never compromise on that.”
King credits his son Michael for the many relationships he set up between the family and the fishermen they work with. Michael King is now vice president of real estate and development.
His second son Stephen works in special projects at the company and started creating seafood treats for dogs.
Growing Gracefully
When it comes to opening new locations, King said it’s important to “grow gracefully.”
“We don’t grow just for growth’s sake,” he added.
King mentioned a location at a San Diego shopping center that the company has had “on the board” for the past two years that the landlord has been slow to develop.
“You play the long game,” King said.
King noted how fortunate the company is to have been offered different locations over the years where they get to decide which brand to open, depending on the environment and customer base.
A new King’s Fish House is in the works in Roseville, along with a Water Grill at the Del Mar Plaza in San Diego. King said that he is planning to open between three to four new Fish Houses and another Water Grill over the next four to five years.
“It’s our responsibility to put in a concept that works,” King said. “Those are going to be great locations for 50 years on.”
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