(FORTUNE Small Business) – In full view of diners at the Summer Shack, celebrity chef Jasper White's seafood joint in Cambridge, Mass., lobsters sulk in holding pens awaiting their grisly fate. The hapless crustaceans are scooped into large baskets, hoisted up on heavy chains, slid down an overhead beam, and lowered into one of two 80-gallon steamer kettles. The apparatus adds to the atmosphere while allowing White to serve traditional New England clambakes to parties as large as 100.

White says he spent $5,000 to patent his lobster system. Good thing, as camera-toting reps from rival restaurant chains have been frequent visitors to the Summer Shack. The actual patent is displayed right by the lobster line—to keep competitors from fishing in White's waters.