5 Strategies for Enhancing your Customers’ Seafood Palate
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. On this day, and every Friday during the 40 days leading up to Easter, the Catholic church calls for most adult members to refrain from eating meat. With this in mind, consider:
• Roughly 51 million U.S. adults are Catholic, accounting for about one-fifth of the total adult population.
• About 62% - more than 30 million, or 6 out of ten—of these adults don’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent.
• Seafood is the “go-to” food for the majority of these adults.
• Although the abstinence rule does not apply to those under 14 years of age, most children eat the same family meals as their parents.
All this adds up to a 20% increase in seafood sales during Lent, making the season feel more like “Christmas” for restaurants offering seafood. As we all know, this uptick in sales is more vital than ever this year, as even some of the most successful restaurants struggle to recoup their losses after months of being shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lent can provide a great kick-off to welcoming back customers.
Fishing for Compliments
And seafood can pave the way. Below are five strategies to help make sure Lent is a seafood blockbuster for restaurant operators, which along with fixings for the Lunar New Year, will serve up some new approaches and have your patrons yearning for seafood all year long.
1. Walk on the wilder side. After months of eating their own cooking and eager to escape the culinary monotony brought on by the pandemic, many diners are craving new flavors and, studies have shown, more adventurous. That doesn’t mean to forget such Lent favorites as fried calamari or shrimp scampi. But now is a great time to debut some more creative calamari dishes and branzino dishes, a growing national favorite. The bonus is that some of these innovative approaches will not only bring unique flavors and textures to your returning customers, they can also provide productivity and labor efficiencies that contribute to a needed boost to your bottom line.
2. Put your best fish forward. Have a great seafood dish already on your menu? Now’s the time to highlight it and expand the choices, especially if it’s usually overshadowed by other staples. For example, Habit Burger Grill, owned by Yum Brands, Inc., will promote its ahi tuna sandwich throughout Lent at all 279 of the chain’s domestic locations, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. New selections will stimulate some new tastes in returning customers and attract a new audience that will stick not just through Lent but throughout the year.
3. Mix and match. Don’t limit your seafood promotions to a single menu slot. Precede a fish entrée with a shrimp appetizer or comforting seafood gumbo followed by a calamari salad for a set price or as mix and match options. This tactic also satisfies heartier eaters who may fear leaving hungry after lighter seafood fare.
4. Let’s do lunch. Offering seafood lunch specials can have even greater appeal this year as workers start returning to the office and are eager to go out to eat and reconnect with coworkers and friends. Opt for fast fixings that accommodate lunch breaks and are easy to eat while catching up, such as fish tacos or seafood salads.
5. Sauce it up. One way to add diversity to your Lent menu without going straying too far into different seafood options is to add unique sauces. Keep the tartar and cocktail sauce if they have a following but try pairing select entrees with anything from artichoke hummus or Mandarin orange cream. Just be sure they are not meat-based in keeping with the spirit of Lent.
Happy New Year
And, while you are Lent-focused, don’t forget the Chinese New Year, which started February 12th. Most Chinese celebrate the holiday for 16 days, during which time they enjoy a wide range of seafood dishes believed to bring everything from good luck to longevity. Why not join the festivities? It’s another great reason to promote delicious seafood, and after 2020, a New Year on any calendar is reason to rejoice.