WEST ORANGE -- No shrimp soup for you.

The actor who became a cultural icon as the "Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld was in several New Jersey ShopRite stores Friday, snapping photos with fans and promoting a new soup released by the restaurant made famous by the 1990s sitcom.

Actor Larry Thomas is now a spokesman for the Original SoupMan company, which sells soups at supermarkets across the country, in addition to operating its famed New York City location.

On Friday, Thomas was in the ShopRite stores in Garwood, Union, and West Orange for promotional events to introduce a new soup in the company's line-up, shrimp bisque.

"I'm a real people person," Thomas said at the West Orange ShopRite, where long lines of shoppers stopped by to see him. "I love meeting people, and I'm also a foodie, so I get an extra little kick out of getting to watch people taste the soups," he said.

Thomas, who said he started doing soup meet-and-greets with the company about a year ago, will be stopping at supermarkets in other states as part of the promotional tour as well, the company said.

"Our customers at our Original Soupman store on 55th street and 8th Avenue in NYC have raved about the unique flavor profile of our Shrimp Bisque for years and we are now making it available to grocery shoppers all across America," company CEO Jamieson Karson said in a statement about the event.

"We are on track to...have a great soup season."

Staff photographer Patti Sapone contributed to this report.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.