U.S. supermarket and restaurant chains are jumpstarting the summer grilling season this weekend with aggressive Memorial Day seafood promotions.
“For the Memorial Day holiday our ad is focusing on grilling with shrimp skewers, salmon fillets and swordfish steaks,” said Maria Brous, spokesperson for Publix Super Markets in Lakeland, Fla., which has more than 1,000 stores.
This weekend, Publix is retailing 10 shrimp skewers for USD 10, fresh salmon fillets for USD 6.99 a pound, 31/35 white shrimp at USD 5.99 a pound, and fresh swordfish steaks for USD 6.99 each.
Publix and other supermarket chains also focused on cooked shrimp rings for Memorial Day gatherings. Publix’s 12-ounce shrimp rings, at USD 11.99 each, are “buy one get one free” from 21 to 27 May 21.
Hannaford Bros. in Scarborough, Maine is promoting 41/50 cooked shrimp for USD 5.99 a pound, down from $6.98 a pound on average, along with jumbo, shell-on “grilling shrimp” for USD 5.99 a pound. The northern New England supermarket chain is touting haddock fillets for USD 5.99 a pound and steelhead trout fillets for USD 4.99.
Supervalu-owned Cub Foods of Stillwater, Minn., is also promoting fish, shrimp and crab for the holiday, including fresh walleye fillets for USD 10.99 a pound. Wild-caught jumbo snow crab clusters were marked at USD 7.99 a pound, while fresh seafood kabobs for grilling were tagged at USD 8.99. The supermarket chain is also promoting Artic Shores Incredible Medium Tail-On Cooked Shrimp, priced at USD 6.99 per 12-ounce bag.
Restaurant chains are also capitalizing on Memorial Day by promoting seafood. For example, Captain D’s in Salisbury, N.C., is offering its Fish & Shrimp Dinner — with fish fillets, shrimp, two sides and hush puppies for USD 4.95 — and its Shrimp Skewers Dinner — with two sides and breadstick for USD 4.95 — through June.
Even independent restaurateurs are getting in on the mix. Rusty’s Seafood and Oyster Bar in Port Canaveral, Fla., is celebrate Memorial Day by throwing a street party on Saturday, which includes live music, street vendors and outdoor bars.
