Crustacean alert: Jake is coming to Crabtree Valley

It will look like something out of a very bad science fiction movie: A giant crab soon will crawl atop Crabtree Valley Mall.

The inflatable crab, whose name is Jake, is the mascot of McCormick & Schmick's. The Oregon-based seafood restaurant will open its first Triangle location at the mall in July.

And nowadays, with the restaurant industry suffering, anything you can do to get attention is a good thing. So why not stick a 700-pound, 8-foot-tall crab with 25-foot legs on top of a mall?

For one thing, to many people a huge crab is, let's face it, a bit tacky. It heralds crab shack. Fish camp. Breaded, fried, and you do, of course, want an extra dozen puppies with that, dontcha, honey?

Those who know McCormick & Schmick's know it's none of that. It's more white tablecloth than a roll of paper towels on the table.

Portions are reasonable. And prices? Well, most people probably won't make it a weekly jaunt. Think the Ruth's Chris of seafood.

"By having Jake make the first introduction on behalf of the company, people can get a sense for the type of food that is served, the fun atmosphere and the fact that this is not just another restaurant coming to Raleigh," said Robert Berbary, general manager of the Crabtree restaurant.

And Jake is a tradition. The crab appears at select McCormick & Schmick's openings and has perched on buildings such as the CNN Center in Atlanta and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The chain's roots go back to Jake's Famous Crawfish Restaurant in Portland, Ore.

"Jake is an arbitrary name to the rest of country, but it has a place in our hearts," said spokeswoman Torie Harms. "He has a very storied passport."

The dates of Jake's local visit won't be known until the opening date of the Raleigh McCormick & Schmick's is set. The crab likely will call Crabtree's roof home for a week to 10 days in early July.

Crabtree received a city permit for his stay, said Sandra Geist, the mall's marketing director.

McCormick & Schmick's will be the first of three new restaurants at Crabtree. Fleming's Steakhouse expects an early fall opening, and Italian restaurant Brio Tuscan Grille plans to open in November.