Ivar’s Acres of Clams and Pier 54 Fish Bar<\/a> when I was a kid in college studying animation. You can tell how well the latter worked out (spoiler: I ain’t exactly working for Disney). My venture into the former, however, was much better. I’d stopped into Seattle for a week or two to visit friends and they did me a favor by introducing me to the place.<\/p>\n![\"ivar's](\"https:\/\/www.seafood-harvest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/1601488726650blob-205x300.png\")
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The Northwest dining legacy that is Ivar\u2019s began with one very entrepreneurial spirit \u2013Ivar Haglund. Haglund was a true Seattle icon, known as an entertainer, folksinger, restaurateur and ultimately, the “King” of the Seattle waterfront. In 1938, 33-year old Haglund opened Seattle\u2019s first aquarium on Pier 3 (now Pier 54). As droves of people lined up to view the Puget Sound sea life Haglund had collected, he noticed his patrons were working up an appetite. Haglund quickly began to sell clam chowder and fish \u2018n chips from what is now known as Ivar\u2019s Pier 54 Fish Bar. An instant success, Ivar\u2019s Restaurants were born.<\/p>\n
Since Haglund was a well-known radio personality, Ivar\u2019s Acres of Clams and Pier 54 Fish Bar received plenty of on-air promotion. Known for his outrageous stunts and buzz-building antics, Haglund was also a sound businessman and able to see opportunities where others could not.<\/p>\n
In 1945, Haglund turned a messy situation (a train car spilling corn syrup all over the street in front of Ivar\u2019s) into an advantage by heading into the spillage with pancakes, a big spoon and a camera \u2013 creating headlines by telling crowds and reporters, \u201cEat at Ivar\u2019s. We don\u2019t spare the syrup!\u201d In 1947, Ivar\u2019s crowned the first IPFSACECA (The International Pacific Free Style Amateur Clam Eating Contest Association) World Champion Clam Eater \u2013 Richard Watson, a Seattle cabdriver, who gulped down 110 clams in 10 minutes!<\/p>\n
Folly ensued through the years. In 1957, the Seafair Pirates stopped for lunch at Ivar’s and missed their big event, the burning of King Neptune’s Flagship in Elliott Bay. Newspaper captions read that the Pirates had been fiddling around at Ivar\u2019s when they were actually just up to their ears in Ivar’s delicious clam chowder! Hilarious television commercials in the 1980s and 1990s elevated Ivar\u2019s to pop culture status, as did Ivar\u2019s friendly Dancing Clams, making their first public appearance in 1985.<\/p>\n
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