Roger Berkowitz, the former president and CEO of U.S. seafood restaurant chain Legal Sea Foods, is starting a new venture that aims to give customers the high-quality feel of full-service dining in a quick-service setting.
That venture, Roger’s Fish & Chips, will open this fall at Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts, U.S.A., and Berkowitz told SeafoodSource that the launch of the new eatery is the realization of a long-held idea.
“I was working on a number of projects prior to [Covid-19], but the pandemic interrupted those,” he said. “I want to finish what I started and take into consideration how the world has changed post-pandemic.”
What has changed, according to Berkowitz, is that Americans are paying 40 percent to 50 percent more at full-service restaurants than they were pre-pandemic but not getting the experience to match.
“The operator is grappling with how to offset increased expenses and is forced into a corner where all they can do is increase pricing,” he said.
So, with Roger’s Fish & Chips, Berkowitz said he aims to offer “premium quality” food at a reasonable price by cutting out the need for servers. Instead, customers order their food and beverages at the counter.
“It’s the mentality of a higher-end, full-service restaurant transplanted in a quick-service setting,” Berkowitz said. "The environment calls for it today. There are so many pressure points on price; people are being outpriced in higher ranked restaurants.”
For instance, some lobster rolls now cost USD 40 (EUR 34) to USD 50 (EUR 43) each, he pointed out, and fish and chips is usually priced at nearly USD 30 (EUR 26) but can reach as high as USD 38 (EUR 33).
To offer consumers better value, Roger’s Fish & Chips will dish out fish and chips, fish sandwiches, crab cakes, Berkowitz’s signature New England Double Clam Chowder, salads with “great pieces of fish that literally melt in your mouth,” and other apps and entrees for 40 percent or 50 percent less on average than full-service restaurants.
Berkowitz sold Legal Sea Foods to PPX Hospitality Brands in December 2020, and although several Legal outlets operate at Boston Logan, Berkowitz said he believes Roger’s Fish & Chips will stand apart from competitors due to the quality of its seafood.
“We are in the fish business, and we understand fish and sourcing better than most. The quality I’m going to put forth there is going to be the highest quality in the city,” Berkowitz said. “Others claim they are in the restaurant business selling fish, which is decidedly different than being in the fish business and operating a restaurant.”
Berkowitz attributed that confidence to the longtime relationships he has forged with boat captains and local fishermen.
“I know who is catching the best scallops, grey sole, and other seafood,” he said while adding that he also heads up the Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative, which is made up of fishermen, processors, and other seafood industry members.
The 700-square-foot Roger’s Fish & Chips also has a liquor license, so Berkowitz plans to serve high-quality wines and unique beers on draft, along with frozen drinks.
“I’m thinking about resurrecting the margarita that I gave to Jimmy Buffet, which he said was the best he ever had,” Berkowitz said.
If the concept is successful, Berkowitz said he plans to expand Roger’s Fish & Chips to other terminals in the airport – and possibly beyond Logan – but the new eatery is not the only iron he has in the fire.
He also owns e-commerce and retail seafood provider Roger’s Fish Co., which is expanding its products to new customers this year.
Roger’s Fish Co., which formed, as many e-commerce outlets did, during the pandemic, has grown organically and will continue to do so, according to Berkowitz.
“The cost of purchasing keywords on Google and the cost of shipping … and customer acquisition is huge. Instead of us purchasing names online, we [decided] we were going to do it organically,” he said.
The avenues the company has pursued to achieve that organic growth have included retail partnerships and TV spots, including on U.S. shopping channel QVC – a strategy Berkowitz has emphasized since he sold Legal Sea Foods in 2020.
“QVC featured our lobster bisque and clam chowder in July, and we sold out,” Berkowitz said. “We will build brand recognition that way – without the need to spend outrageous sums of money to get there.”
Restaurants and other foodservice outlets also sell the company’s clam chowder, and the firm sells its branded clam chowder and other soups in U.S. supermarkets, too. The company will soon include QR codes on its soup containers in supermarkets so shoppers can have quick access to the company’s e-commerce site.
