Article

QSRs feeding the faithful

Seafood offerings rise in popularity as Lent approaches.

January 30, 2008

Though a relatively small percent of all orders, seafood sales can translate to large numbers of actual menu items. In the U.S., McDonald's sells approximately 320 million fish filets each year. Slightly more than 20 percent of those — or more than 64 million — are purchased during Lent.   Let the good times roll   This year, the Lenten season lasts until March 22, or Holy Saturday. In the Christian calendar, Holy Saturday is the day before Easter.   The beginning of Lent depends on Easter, which falls at some point between late March and late April each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. Lent can occur as early as Feb. 4 or as late as March 10.   Although there are actually 46 days between the beginning and end of Lent, the six Sundays don't count because each represents a "mini-Easter" in the Catholic tradition.   The traditions for observing the season have changed over the years. In the early days of Christianity, all animal products were forbidden; these days, those who observe Lent either give up eating red meat on Fridays only or for the entire 40-day period.   Few places around the country feel the impact of Lent more strongly than New Orleans. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday and marks the final day of celebration before Lent.   And Carnival, the official name of the party that ends on Mardi Gras, comes from the Latin expression "carne vale," or "farewell to meat."   "There is no question that in the two or three weeks following Ash Wednesday people swear off eating meat," said New Orleans food writer Tom Fitzmorris, who also hosts a daily three-hour radio show covering New Orleans restaurants, cooking, food and wine.   "I get calls every year from the steakhouses in particular, asking me to get the word out that they also have seafood on the menu," he said. "Some of them must add a fish dish or two for the occasion, and drop it back off the menu later."

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Captain D's ran a Double-Dozen Shrimp promotion during Lent 2004, which helped contribute to record sales and increased comps nearly 4 percent over the previous year, according to a Nashville Business Journal article. And for Lent 2005, the chain rolled out two shrimp combo meals — the Festival Shrimp Combo and the Classic Fish & Festival Shrimp Combo.