Groton — Nestled along the Noank shoreline, the critically acclaimed Abbott's Lobster in the Rough has been a staple for seafood lovers for three-quarters of a century.  

Celebrating its 75th year of operation at 117 Pearl St., Abbott's opened for the season last Friday, and on Sunday people bundled up in winter coats celebrated Mother's Day by sitting at one of the waterside picnic tables and enjoying a lobster roll, steamers and other seafood.

One of those choosing to sit inside Sunday was Rosemary Coggeshall of Glastonbury, who along with her family was also celebrating her son Michael's 21st birthday in a few days.

Coggeshall is a big Abbott's fan. She said her family has come to Abbott's every year for Mother's Day except for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said her husband, Jim, has been going to Abbott's for decades.

"You got the water views and the salt in the air, which somehow increases your appettite for seafood," Coggeshall said. "You can't be a Connecticut person and not come to Abbott's. They're synonymous."

Established by the late Ernest Abbott in 1947, Abbott's operated for a time as a lobster wholesaler and cannery and, since the 1950s, as a seasonal restaurant.

Chelsea Leonard said her grandparents Jerry and Ruth Mears bought the restaurant from the Abbott family in 1981, keeping and honoring the already well-known Abbott's name. Chelsea, the daughter of operator Deirdre Mears, transitioned into a leadership position at the restaurant in 2016. She has since helped her mother operate the business and expand it, opening an Abbott's outpost in downtown Mystic last year.

To be celebrating 75 years is a milestone, said Leonard.

"We're really proud of the restaurant and what we do here," she said. "Seventy-five years speaks to the loyalty and dedication we've had to the business, and it is certainly not easy."

Leonard said it's not getting any easier for restaurants, and the COVID-19 pandemic made things more challenging. While Abbott's was still busy amid COVID-19 restrictions, Leonard said the pandemic exacerbated supply chain issues and increased labor costs and shortages.

"Lobster prices and costs in general are going up," she said. "We're doing our best to keep prices down."

The rising prices did not appear to affect business Sunday as a number of visitors filled up Abbott's parking lot. Many of the visitors were celebrating Mother's Day with their families.

Abbott's was what Nicole Arciszweski of Clinton said she wanted to eat after hiking at nearby Bluff Point State Park earlier in the day with her family. Arciszweski sat on a blue blanket laid across Abbott's green lawn as she watched Tobias, her nearly 1-year-old son, walk and play with his toys.

Arciszweski said she was celebrating her first Mother's Day as her son, due last Mother's Day, came into the world a week later. She said she has been to Abbott's a couple of times, including when she was younger. Arciszweski had ordered her favorite, steamers.

"They remind me of when I was a kid and my mom used to get them," she said.

j.vazquez@theday.com