The Nordic

The Nordic is an all-you-can-eat seafood and buffet restaurant located beside Pasquiet Pond in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The business was established in 1963 by Richard “Dick” Persson and his wife, Gudny “Goody” Persson, and has remained continuously owned and operated by the Persson family. It originally operated as a rural lodge and vacation-area business under the name Nordic Lodge, serving meals to visitors in a relatively remote part of southern Rhode Island. The restaurant’s family background is closely connected to Scandinavian immigration. Dick’s father, Karl O. Persson, was a Swedish carpenter who moved with his wife, Irma, from Denmark, to Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1920s after the economic hardship of the Great Depression in Sweden. Dick spent part of his childhood in Sweden before returning to the United States. He later married Goody, a Norwegian immigrant to the United States. In 1963, after they had two children, the couple moved to the Charlestown area and acquired a vacation property. They initially supported the operation by serving three meals a day from the lodge. Because of the property’s rural location, the early business was primarily seasonal and depended on visitors during the warmer months. It eventually expanded to year-round operation. In 1970, the restaurant received a license to sell liquor, adding an important element to its hospitality offering. The business later changed its service model in response to developments in the regional restaurant market. In 1980, it became a buffet. The change followed the closure of Custy’s, an all-you-can-eat restaurant in nearby North Kingstown, after a fire; the Perssons took advantage of the resulting market opportunity. The Nordic’s identity is centered on a large buffet rather than a narrow specialty menu. Seafood is the principal draw, particularly lobster, shrimp, crab, shellfish, and other prepared seafood dishes. The menu also includes meat, poultry, soups, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts, making the restaurant a broad-format destination for group dining and special occasions. Lobster has been described as a customer favorite. In 2012, the restaurant was reported to serve more than 6,000 pounds of lobster and 3,000 pounds of shrimp on a typical weekend, with much of the seafood sourced locally from Point Judith, Rhode Island. The restaurant temporarily closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in June 2020 with servers working at the buffet area, an operational adjustment intended to preserve the buffet concept while addressing pandemic-era service conditions. In February 2023, the business changed its name from Nordic Lodge to The Nordic. The rebrand marked the restaurant’s current identity while preserving its longstanding family ownership and seafood-buffet positioning. The Nordic remains an independent, privately held hospitality business rather than a listed restaurant chain. Its public profile is defined by its Rhode Island location, family continuity, large-scale all-you-can-eat format, and emphasis on lobster and other seafood. Available reference material does not identify a wider chain of locations, a corporate parent, publicly reported financial results, or current named executives beyond the founding Persson family members.

The Nordic began in 1963 when Richard “Dick” Persson and his wife, Gudny “Goody” Persson, moved with their two children to a rural property in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The property was a vacation area beside Pasquiet Pond, and the couple developed it into a lodge and restaurant. The family’s background was Scandinavian: Dick’s father, Karl O. Persson, was a Swedish carpenter, while his mother, Irma, was from Denmark. The family had moved to Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1920s during the economic difficulties associated with the Great Depression in Sweden. Dick later spent approximately ten years in Sweden before returning to the United States. Goody was a Norwegian immigrant. At first, the lodge served three meals a day and depended heavily on seasonal visitors because of its remote location. The operation eventually became suitable for year-round business. In 1970, it obtained a liquor license, expanding the services available to diners and guests. The restaurant’s most important format change came in 1980, when it became an all-you-can-eat buffet. This followed the destruction by fire of Custy’s, a comparable restaurant in North Kingstown. The Persson family responded to the local market opening by developing the Nordic Lodge around a large buffet model. The buffet became associated especially with lobster and other seafood. Its offerings have included lobster, scallops, snow crab, shrimp, hard clams, oysters, scampi, prawn cocktail, clam chowder, bisque, lobster macaroni and cheese, lobster fritters, sole, and salmon. The menu also extends beyond seafood, with prime rib, filet mignon, beef tenderloin, chicken wings, pork ribs, chicken tenders, and candied bacon. Appetizers and desserts, including cannoli, Bismarck pastries, and lemon bars, form part of the broader buffet selection. Reference material reported that, as of 2012, the restaurant served more than 6,000 pounds of lobster and 3,000 pounds of shrimp on a typical weekend, with much of the seafood sourced from Point Judith, Rhode Island. The restaurant’s pre-pandemic dinner price was reported as $85 per person in 2012, including drinks and tax. No current pricing or financial information is established in the available material. The business closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in June of that year, with servers stationed at the buffet area. This represented a service adjustment during the pandemic while retaining the restaurant’s central buffet proposition. In February 2023, the restaurant changed its name from Nordic Lodge to The Nordic. The rebranding updated the public-facing identity without changing the business’s basic location, family ownership, or all-you-can-eat restaurant concept. The Nordic is described as having remained continuously owned and operated by the Persson family since its founding. Available sources do not document additional locations, a corporate parent, a public listing, or a formal executive structure beyond the family founders and operators.

• 2023

  Nordic Lodge renamed The Nordic

  [1]The Nordicen.wikipedia.org

  The business completed a name change and rebrand from Nordic Lodge to The Nordic in February.

• 2020

  COVID-19 closure and reopening

  [1]The Nordicen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant closed in March during the pandemic and reopened in June with servers working at the buffet area.

• 1980

  Business becomes a buffet

  [1]The Nordicen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant adopted its all-you-can-eat buffet format after a comparable local restaurant, Custy’s, was destroyed by fire.

• 1970

  Liquor license obtained

  [1]The Nordicen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant obtained a license to sell liquor, expanding its hospitality service.

• 1963

  Restaurant founded in Charlestown

  [1]The Nordicen.wikipedia.org

  Richard and Gudny Persson purchased a vacation property in Charlestown, Rhode Island, and began operating a lodge and restaurant.

A destination, family-owned Rhode Island buffet emphasizing all-you-can-eat lobster, seafood, and a broad selection of meat, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts.

• Restaurant offering · 1980

  Seafood buffet

  The core offering is an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet centered on lobster, shrimp, snow crab, scallops, clams, oysters, scampi, sole, salmon, chowder, bisque, lobster macaroni and cheese, and lobster fritters. The format is the defining feature of the restaurant and its principal point of differentiation.

• Restaurant offering

  Meat and poultry buffet

  Alongside seafood, the buffet includes substantial meat and poultry choices such as prime rib, filet mignon, beef tenderloin, chicken wings, chicken tenders, pork ribs, and candied bacon. These items broaden the appeal of the restaurant to diners who are not focused exclusively on seafood.

• Restaurant offering

  Appetizers and desserts

  The restaurant’s buffet also includes supporting courses and sweets. Reported examples include cannoli, Bismarck pastries, lemon bars, prawn cocktail, and other appetizer and dessert selections.

• 2023Nordic Lodge to The Nordic rebrand

  United States · Rhode Island

  The restaurant updated its name from Nordic Lodge to The Nordic in February 2023, modernizing its brand identity while retaining its established family ownership and buffet concept.

  Outcome. The business continued operating under The Nordic name.

  Source

• 2023

  Corporate and consumer-facing name changeStrategy

  Background

  The long-running restaurant had operated under the Nordic Lodge name since its earlier lodge-based identity.

  Action taken

  The business changed its name to The Nordic in February 2023.

  Aftermath

  The restaurant continued under the The Nordic brand.

  Source

• 2020

  Pandemic-era operating adjustmentStrategy

  Background

  The restaurant closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Action taken

  After reopening in June, the restaurant used servers at the buffet area.

  Aftermath

  The Nordic resumed operations while retaining its buffet-based offering under modified service conditions.

  Source

• 1980

  Adoption of the all-you-can-eat buffet modelStrategy

  Background

  The closure of Custy’s in North Kingstown after a fire created an opening for another local all-you-can-eat restaurant.

  Action taken

  The Nordic Lodge changed its service model and became a buffet.

  Aftermath

  The buffet format became the foundation of the restaurant’s identity and its seafood-focused positioning.

  Source

1. 1The Nordicen.wikipedia.org