Newport Beach : Owner Lifts Dress Code for Restaurant Mermaid

Although his establishment has a dress code that requires shirts, Bob Roubian, owner of the Crab Cooker restaurant, plans to waive the rule for the 6-foot-long mahogany mermaid that graces his dining room.

The sculpture, which bares more than mere midriff, is the only topless offering in the landmark Newport Beach eatery. Plans to cover up the mermaid with seashells fell to the wayside, Roubian said, because “they just stole all her charm.”

Instead, he said, the mermaid will remain in the altogether, at least until somebody complains. Roubian acquired the sculpture, made from Cuban mahogany, about a decade ago for $800. The wooden creature was security for a loan made to an old acquaintance, who never bothered to redeem the mermaid.

The mermaid was stolen and remained missing until last March, when an unidentified man returned the mermaid and claimed a $1,000 reward.