McDonald’s new Filet-O-Fish part of Lent capitalization strategy

It seems that almost every U.S. restaurant chain — particularly those who don’t typically feature seafood — is offering special seafood items during Lent, which began on Wednesday.

While all of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. stores carry the Filet-O-Fish sandwich year-round, more than 700 locations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington are featuring the Filet-O-Fish with Old Bay-seasoned tartar sauce. The sauce “adds a bit of local flavor to this longtime customer favorite,” Terri Hickey, manager of McDonald’s U.S. media relations, told SeafoodSource. 

Naturally, McDonald’s sales of Filet-O-Fish, made with Marine Stewardship Council-certified Alaska pollock, rise during the 40-day Lenten season. “We know that our customers especially enjoy our Filet-O Fish-during this season. In fact, it was actually created in 1962 by a Cincinnati, Ohio, franchisee who wanted to offer a fish sandwich for his predominantly Roman Catholic customers. Many local markets continue to promote the Filet-O-Fish during the Lenten season,” Hickey said.

In addition to McDonald’s, several other restaurant chains have launched special seafood sandwiches or meals that will run throughout Lent.

Shoney’s, a 170-unit buffet-style restaurant chain, is featuring several new seafood items for lent, including: wild Pacific salmon, served with rice pilaf and steamed vegetables; Pile O’ Shrimp, a dozen large shrimp that are hand-breaded and lightly fried, served with coleslaw and cocktail sauce; Fish Sandwich (cod); and Fish N’ Chips, cod fillets with homemade bread crumbs, served with fries and tartar sauce.

“Every day, America is looking for fresh quality food at a great value with friendly service. And at this time of year, they are also looking for incredible seafood choices,” said David Davoudpour, Shoney’s chairman and CEO.

Meanwhile, Church’s Chicken is offering a new Butterfly Shrimp Meal and brought back its Fish Fillet Meal for Lent. Replacing last year’s popcorn shrimp, the Shrimp Meal features eight marinated, fried shrimp served with Church's signature honey-butter biscuit, fries and a tangy cocktail sauce. The two entrées range from USD 3.99 (EUR 3.51) to USD 4.99 (EUR 4.39) each.

“This year, we stepped up our culinary game and introduced a bigger and better shrimp offering, while also bringing back a fan favorite with our fish fillets,” said Adam Tabachnikoff, VP of activation and product marketing for Church’s Chicken.

Likewise, quick-service seafood chain Long John Silver’s also recently launched a Shrimp & Fish Basket for USD 3.99 (EUR 3.51).

Gourmet hamburger chain Red Robin is launching its first seafood option, the Wild Pacific Crab Cake Burger, made from tender jumbo lump, blue and Pacific snow crab topped with arugula, roasted garlic aioli, oven-roasted tomatoes, lettuce, Parmesan cheese and served on a caramelized ciabatta bun.

Quiznos this week introduced two sandwiches: Lobster & Seafood Salad Ciabatta — fresh chunks of high-quality, tasty lobster claw, topped with crisp seasonal greens and served on Ciabatta bread; and Lobster & Seafood Salad Sub — fresh lobster and crisp seasonal greens, served on Quiznos butter-toasted artisan bread.