• The family-run restaurant group has spanned multiple generations.
• Its final dinner service will be Nov. 15.
• The shutdown is sudden, but not unexpected.

While you may never have heard of Swampscott, Massachusetts, if you like Adam Sandler movies, you’ve probably seen parts of it. The small town, about 20 minutes north of Boston provided locations for both “Grownups” movies, although you don’t really get a sense of it from what made the screen.

The second-smallest town in Massachusetts, Swampscott measures roughly three square miles with a lot of that being oceanfront. Swampscott’s biggest draw has always been its beach, the town does not have all that much in the way of business.

That’s by design as the town’s government, a Board of Selectmen, have always been careful about keeping the mostly residential community idyllic. There’s, of course a pair of Dunkin’ Donuts (practically a law in Massachusetts, and a few other chains in the commercial part of town, but the areas on the water have always been reserved for local businesses.

The most famous of those has long been a restaurant with deep community roots founded by one of the titans of the Massachusetts culinary scene, Anthony Athanas. That restaurant, Hawthorne By the Sea, closed without warning (although there some clear signs a shutdown was inevitable) in November, leaving Athanas’ once mighty restaurant empire down to a single location.

Historic destination seafood restaurant closes

When I was a kid, growing up in Swampscott, Athanas’ two restaurants, were where you went for celebrations. My high school graduation dinner was from one of his locations, and I’m sure my grandparents, if not my parents, celebrated an anniversary or two at one of his establishments.

Athanas was essentially the epitome of the American dream. He was born in Albania, came to the United States when he was five, and built an enduring restaurant chain.

“In 1937, he opened his first restaurant, Anthony’s Hawthorne, in Lynn, Massachusetts, and it quickly became one of New England’s largest and most successful establishments. In the following years, Athanas opened Hawthorne by the Sea (1946) and General Glover House (1957), both in Swampscott, Massachusetts, and Anthony’s Cummaquid Inn (1975) in Yarmouth Port, on Cape Cod in Massachusetts,” the website for Hawthorn by the Sea shared.

Athanas died in 2005 and both Hawthorne by the Sea and Boston’s Anthony’s Pier 4 survived him. His family, however, which still controls what’s left of his empire made the decision to close Hawthorne by the Sea.

Hawthorn by the Sea had a stories history and a less glorious demise.

Hawthorne by the Sea sets closing date

A classic New England-style steak and seafood restaurant, Hawthorne By the Sea had a rough ending.

“The Athanas family has informed the town of Swampscott it will not continue operating the Hawthorne-by-the-Sea restaurant beyond its current agreement,” the Swampscott Tides website reported on Nov. 6.

Swampscott owns the property where the restaurants sits and the family’s agreement with the town was near its end date. The Athanas family was asked to keep operating the restaurant beyond the original contracted date, but told town officials that was not possible.

“Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers is hosting an online-only sale of the restaurant’s contents at paineauctioneers.com. About 450 items are listed, including a dough mixer, 2,500 pieces of gold-plated flatware, bowback armchairs, various collectibles, bar-ware, patio tables, artwork, heat lamps, and a meat slicer. All items are sold as-is,” according to the auctioneer’s website.

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Once the pickup period has passed, gas and electricity will be shut off at the property.

A call to the restaurant confirmed that its final service will be on Nov. 15. Hawthorne by the Sea is open from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Anthony Athanas restaurant closure timeline:

• Anthony’s Pier 4 (Boston) Opened: 1963 on the South Boston waterfront.

  Peak: Among the highest-grossing independent restaurants in the U.S. through the 1970s–1980s.

  Decline: Began in the late 1990s as the Seaport area redeveloped and newer restaurants drew traffic.

  Closed: 2013 (after 50 years). The site was later redeveloped into Pier 4 luxury condos.

  Source: WBUR

• Anthony’s Hawthorne (Lynn, MA) Opened: 1937.

  Known for: Upscale dining, weddings, and special events.

  Closed: 1991

  “It’s been like a second home to a lot of us,” said longtime employee Maria Pappas, who had worked at the Hawthorne for more than 20 years said at the time of the closure. “We’ve seen weddings, anniversaries, and generations of families come through here. It’s sad, but we understand the family’s decision.”

  Source: Lynn Item archive, paywall)

• Anthony’s Cummaquid (Yarmouth Port, Cape Cod) Opened: 1950s.

  Closed: 2008 with the family citing declining business and high maintenance costs.

  Source: Boston Globe obituary of Athanas

• Anthony’s Pier 5 (Quincy, MA) Operated: Late 1960s-1970s.

  Closed: By the early 1980s (exact date unclear, but noted in 1983 Boston Globe dining column).

  Source: Boston Globe archives.