Today’s seafood segment is focusing on sustainability, seasonality and customer education.

What makes the seafood segment unique is its focus on sourcing and sustainability since procurement can get tricky. Fortunately for many seafood-centric concepts, this has not been as big an issue recently as it has been in the past.

Chicago-based Datassential reports a rise in units, sales and volume for seafood chains in 2023 versus a year prior. From 2022 to 2023, units were up 13%. Sales rose 3%, and average unit volume increased 8%. While sales for quick service, fast casual, midscale dining and fine dining seafood concepts were essentially flat from 2019 to 2023, sales rose 41% for casual dining over those years.

A Local Focus

Sea Creatures, a family of 10 Seattle restaurants, nine of them seafood concepts, is locally owned and operated by James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Renee Erickson and her partners. Its eateries mainly tap into local products.

The all-encompassing seafood platter at Buck & Rider provides a sampling of its menu items, which are directly sourced from fisherman around the world.“We wanted to highlight why this area is so special,” says Bobby Palmquist, Sea Creatures’ executive chef. “That’s the message we carry in all our restaurants.”

It’s not just the native salmon that the menu highlights, but also native clams, black cod, halibut, spot prawns and Dungeness crab. “We’re lucky in that we’re able to use what’s in season and at its peak,” Palmquist explains. “People here love seafood, and with our proximity to the ocean and Puget Sound, we try to showcase what we have locally and how much we can have on the menu at one time.”

Because Seattle customers tend to be very progressive and concerned about the origins of their food as well as seafood sustainability, Sea Creatures arms the staff at all its restaurants with knowledge about what’s being served and where it originates from. “We talk about the sustainability aspect of what we’re serving and pass this message on to our guests,” Palmquist says. “That messaging has clicked with people now.”

From a preparation standpoint, Sea Creatures’ restaurant kitchens include high-end convection ovens, and combi ovens were added about six years ago. Industrial blenders also represent a critical piece of equipment.

“It’s not just about searing a piece of fish, but slow roasting it first to get the best texture,” Palmquist says. “Some fish benefit from dehydrating the skin prior to frying for a more puffed-up result. We like to get creative with our equipment and processes.”

Palmquist says that, because consumers are more knowledgeable about the seafood segment than a decade ago, staff is at the ready to answer questions. “Our restaurant Walrus is a good example,” he says. “We have a tiny, open kitchen, and people love engaging with the staff and being involved.”

Sea Creatures buys its fresh fish whole, and upon delivery, staff break down the seafood before storing it immediately in either a walk-in cooler or freezer.

A World View

Buck & Rider, which has four locations in the Phoenix area, flies in its seafood from around the world. Domestically, its oysters come from Washington State and Alaska, while yellowtail snapper comes in from the Florida Keys. Hawaii is another U.S. seafood source for the restaurant.

“We don’t use local distributors; we get our seafood directly from the fishermen,” says Adam Strecker, CEO, who co-founded the restaurant in 2016. “This way, the quality of the fish is much fresher, and we control the shelf life.”

This is because seafood is not waylaid at a distribution center, and Strecker knows its exact origins. He admits, though, this procurement method is not for the faint of heart. “The challenge is it’s a logistical nightmare,” Strecker says. “We have to rely on all the major airlines, so if one goes down, we scramble.”

While there are some seafood restaurants that struggle in moving seafood quickly enough, that is not an issue for Buck & Rider. “Our three locations average between 800 and 1,000 guests every day,” Strecker says.

Buck & Rider offers two menus offered daily. While the core menu includes seafood dishes like shrimp scampi risotto and crabcakes made with 100% jumbo crab meat, the secondary menu features fresh fish and a raw bar. “We offer six types of fresh fish such as yellowtail snapper, Alaskan halibut or pumpkin swordfish, and six types of oysters every day,” Strecker says.

As for sustainability, Strecker says although the seafood topic can be polarizing, it has not been an issue. “There are people who want fresh-caught fish that they feel is healthier and those who look for farmed fish to protect the environment,” he says.

Buck & Rider’s menu includes farm-raised Ora King salmon from New Zealand and ahi tuna fished from Hawaiian waters. “Redfish are 100% farm raised only, and all of our oysters are farm raised,” Strecker says. “We are concerned about sustainability; however, we’re better off focusing on the best version of fish.”

From an equipment standpoint, Buck & Rider kitchens heavily rely on ice machines to keep fish fresh and steamers as part of the cooking process. “If we lose one, then we’re done,” Strecker says.

Each location has one cubed and one crushed ice machine. Buck & Rider’s stores its whole fish stuffed with crushed ice and its fileted fish layered with crushed ice. Otherwise, all seafood is stored in a walk-in. Unlike meat, which can have a shelf life of up to a month, seafood needs to be eaten within five days of receipt, he says. “We go through about 2,000 pounds of crushed ice a day per location,” Strecker says. “And, due to the volume and how we fly it in fresh, we don’t have waste control concerns.”

Buck & Rider uses steamers for shellfish like lobster and king crab. With a menu that includes seafood from around the world, more people are curious about the different flavors.

“People love the specificity of regional seafood, and the country of origin is noted on our menu,” Strecker says. “People want to transport themselves to somewhere they haven’t been.”

Ocean Prime’s dining room aesthetic is a sophisticated take on a steakhouse with a seafood theme.

Seasonal Seafood

Following some merger and acquisition activity 16 years ago, multiconcept operator Cameron Mitchell Restaurants opted to create Ocean Prime. This mashup of a steak and seafood concept now has 18 locations across the country.

“Our menu is elaborate and modern, featuring indulgent seafood presentations, prime steaks, hand-rolled sushi, decadent side dishes and house-made desserts,” says Mitch Miller, vice president of Ocean Prime and operating partner at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. “We take advantage of the seasonality and variety of seafood and highlight seasonal offerings whenever available. For example, Alaska halibut and Columbia River salmon are featured throughout the summer, while we showcase sea bass and other offerings throughout fall and winter.”

The restaurants’ bestselling dishes are Chilean sea bass and filet mignon, which speaks to the balance of seafood and steak within the concept. Halibut seasonal offerings are a popular limited-time offer.

“It is no secret that conservation and sustainability have moved to the forefront of our industry,” Miller says.

Ocean Prime works in partnership with its purveyors to source local ingredients.

The chain also has updated its offerings in response to today’s seafood trends. “Our sushi program is unique in our category and brings a modern approach to seafood on our menu,” Mitchell says. “We hope to continue to expand this piece of our brand to provide a variety of options.”

In 2012, two cousins launched Cousins Maine Lobster in an effort to bring the authentic Maine lobster experience to the West Coast. The chain has expanded since then and will have roughly 90 trucks operating across the country by the end of 2024.

“Shark Tank” Exposure

Cousins Maine Lobster was the brainchild of cousins and Maine natives Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis. “Jim was a medical device sales rep in Boston who was visiting his cousin Sabin, when they came up with the food truck idea after reminiscing about how lobster was often served at their family Thanksgiving,” says Mike Carmody, vice president of operations for Cousins Maine Lobster.

To bring their authentic Maine lobster experience to the West Coast, the cousins launched a food truck in Los Angeles in 2012. “They turned down invites to the TV show “Shark Tank” a couple times before they said yes, as they didn’t know what they had,” says Carmody.

The food truck opened for business in April 2012, and their “Shark Tank” episode aired seven months later. The cousins got a deal with shark Barbara Corcoran, who invested $55,000 for 15% of their business. Cousins Maine Lobster began franchising in 2015, opening five brick-and-mortar locations and expanding to 65 food trucks. Another 25 trucks are scheduled to open by the end of 2024.

Although lobster is the mainstay in formats such as rolls, tacos, quesadillas, grilled cheese and bisque, Cousins’ food trucks also offer shrimp and crab rolls. Its restaurants have a more extensive menu with other types of fish, chicken and salad.

“Our menu is small but has remained the same,” Carmody says. “This is because what we do we do well.”

The lobster rolls are unique in that these only include lobster meat with butter on top. Like with other seafood, the biggest challenge is availability. “Any time you’re dealing with lobster, it’s a wild card animal,” Carmody says. “Cousins does a great job communicating what goes into lobstering and how whales will impact the lobster industry.”

Where equipment is concerned, its trucks are outfitted with the same units as its restaurants. “With all seafood shipped from Maine, we try to keep things very simple, and our menu is easy to execute.” Carmody says. “It includes a flattop and a couple of burners.”

Truck cooklines are longer than the restaurants’ at 20 feet, and seafood is stored in upright refrigerators and freezers. The company preps its seafood at various commissaries located throughout the country.

“Shelf life isn’t a concern, and neither is food safety,” Carmody says. “We’re doing this at a high level, but we’ve grown responsibly. It’s all about the quality of our lobster.”