Robert "Bob" Roubian

1926 - 2017

Roubian, Robert "Bob"
Founder of the iconic Newport Beach eatery The Crab Cooker, passed away December 15, 2017,
at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.
A 1986 Orange County Businessweek article described Roubian as "a restauranteur, a raconteur, an ichthyologist, an organic gardener, a carver of wood, a sculptor, a writer of music and a seeker of truth." He was all that plus an environmentalist, promoter of the arts and quintessential family man. A lifelong student of arts, letters and science, Roubian was a true Renaissance Man.
Born July 7, 1926 in Pasadena, Bob was of Armenian and Sicilian descent. He was the middle-born son of European immigrants. His father John had hand-carved walnut propellers for World War I biplanes and his mother Barbara was a nurse.
A graduate of John Muir High School, he also attended Mount San Antonio College.
Growing up, he mopped floors at the Santa Anita racetrack and was later a decorated World War II combat veteran who served as a Navy Sea Bee in the Philippines.
Bob gave generously to multiple charities and especially had a lifelong conviction to help families in need. As a younger man, he sold Christmas trees at his own lot in Pasadena and each year would set aside about a 100 trees to give to families who could not afford them.
After the war, he took up carpentry and exploited his talents playing piano and writing music. In 1949, he bought a home in Newport Beach for $5,000. It is where he lived the remainder of his adult life. He married Helen Davis in Newport Beach on June 24, 1959. They had three children: Rhonda, Robert and John.In 1951, Roubian took control of a fish market on the Balboa Peninsula that he would later turn into the Crab Cooker. Inside the crab red building on the south side of Newport Blvd. -- where, to this day, there is often a line outside and the wait can be an hour or two -- they do not have dessert, and everything is served on paper plates; nevertheless, the Crab Cooker has been a venerable Newport Beach establishment since it opened its doors at that location in 1951. In the Crab Cooker kitchen, Roubian was one of the first restauranteurs to introduce the now widely popular concept of mesquite-grilling. Well known for its homemade bread and the Manhattan chowder which are from Roubian's own recipes, the Crab Cooker has been, for more than 66 years, a favorite of fisherman, locals, visitors and Hollywood celebrities alike - John Wayne and James Cagney among those known to frequent the place.
As the story goes, Roubian once turned away President Nixon because at his egalitarian Crab Cooker, it is always on a first-come first-served basis, there are no reservations, and everyone gets treated the same. He carried that same philosophy across his life.
In 1955, Roubian wrote and sang "The Popcorn Song" with Los Angeles bandleader Cliffie Stone. The novelty tune was recorded on a Capitol Records label and became a No. 14 hit that was banned in Boston and introduced the phrase "too pooped to pop" into the American vernacular. With proceeds from the song and others, Roubian was able to pay off his fish market debts and the Crab Cooker.
In 1969, Venture Magazine named the Crab Cooker one of its top two restaurants in the world.
In 1992, Roubian's family opened a second Crab Cooker location at Enderle Center in Tustin that remains open today.
Because of structural damage at the Newport Beach Crab Cooker location, the original building is set to be demolished in 2018. Roubian's family is committed to rebuilding and re-opening his restaurant on its landmark site. When they do, patrons will once again walk through the mahogany entrance doors originally hand-carved by Roubian.
Bob retired from day-to-day operations at the Crab Cooker in 2016 but not from life. He continued to tend his beloved garden, study poetry and live each day to the fullest with his wife and family.
An environmentalist, Roubian supported the Cousteau Society, Greenpeace and Sierra Club. He was, after all, a lover of the sea and the fish and marine life that inhabit it.
Roubian was a long-time member of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Balboa Bay Club.
Robert Roubian is survived by his wife of 58 years Helen; as well as his daughter and son-in-law, James and Ronnie Wasko; his son, Robbie Roubian; and three grandchildren, James Wasko, Claire (Wasko) and her husband Jason Carminati, and Jessica Wasko. He was predeceased by his son, John; his older brother, John; and sister, Barbara Jean.
Services were held Friday, December 22 at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana.