HIC Seafood and Crab Hammer All-In-One Tool (Factory MPN ). One end is a mallet head for cracking crab claws and lobster shells; the other tapers to a slim pick for pulling meat out of legs and knuckles. The long handle keeps your grip clear of the shell, and it wipes clean between courses.
Five bucks a piece means you can put one at every seat instead of passing the same beat-up nutcracker around the table. Buy a handful before crab season and let everybody work at their own pace. We keep a stack of them by the register all summer.