Seafood Menu Planning

A menu has the potential to make or break a business. Detailed or brief, written by hand or glossy and bound, a menu must be enticing and informative for the customer and cost-effective for the business owner. Here are some tips for maximizing profits with seafood products:

• A good chef ends the day with very little food in his refrigerator. Not only was the day profitable and productive, the next day begins with fresh, new ingredients.
• Utilize main ingredients in various dishes to “spread the wealth.” For example, scallops are traditionally prepared two ways, fried or baked; however, chefs can use scallops in a variety of creative ways. Here is a breakdown:
  • A pound of frozen 10/20 scallops (13-18 IQF scallops) costs about $9.50/lb.
  • Use 3 scallops in an appetizer (charge $7.50-8.25 per plate)
  • Use 4 scallops in a salad on the lunch menu (charge $11-12 per plate)
  • Use 5-6 scallops in an entrée (charge $18-20 per plate)

• Adding scallops to a menu for the first time? Consider a promotion. Any ad in a newspaper costs at least $150. Instead of advertising, buy 3 lbs. of good dry scallops and serve them as a complimentary treat on a busy night. You’ll spend well under $100 to promote a new item while enticing customers to re-order in the future.

• Incorporate new fish species into traditional recipes. For example, in New England, Atlantic cod and haddock are popular flatfishes and are typically either fried in fish & chips or baked/broiled with toppings. More affordable and sustainable alternatives include:
  • Alaska plaice loins, which offer chefs consistent thickness
  • N. Atlantic dogfish, which provides white, flaky meat and is used for fish & chips in Europe and the U.K.

• Don’t serve the same dishes available down the street. Make 4-5 dishes your own and keep customers coming back for more. Rely on local ingredients, including regionally caught seafood. Customers will be familiar with the main ingredient and will crave your unique preparation.