________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If anyone understands the value of proficient storytelling, its Michael Ungaro, owner of San Pedro Fish Market. The family-owned and operated eatery originated as a 200-square-foot corner store in 1956, where Michael’ s grandfather began selling seafood to San Pedro locals. Its popularity grew and the shop moved to a larger location directly on the waterfront, known as Norm’ s Landing, before reopening as the San Pedro Fish Market & Restaurant in 1982, serving a variety of pick-your-own seafood with added bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and loaves of garlic bread. Not only does the 70-year legacy continue today, but the company has expanded exponentially, with customers travelling from miles around to sample the famous Seafood Trays, and the company even has its own television show on Amazon Prime, Kings of Fish.
“ We went from being a fish market selling fresh seafood to the residents of San Pedro, to opening a restaurant with a full kitchen and a dining room,” begins Michael, as he sits down with Food Chain. However, the restaurant encountered a significant challenge in the form of a natural disaster in its opening year.“ 1982 was the last time Southern California had a major El Niño and it rained torrentially all summer,” Michael elaborates.“ We had 300 seats outside and we almost lost everything. Before we even opened, we were working out of a parking lot for about two years while the area was being redeveloped – and then came the rain! We faced a few hurdles, but we’ re resilient. We pivoted, innovated and tried different things, and eventually it worked out, sales increased, and we went from 300 seats to eventually having 3000 seats, serving close to two million customers a year.” 134