Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen is not just about battered fish fillets anymore. The menu at the 600-unit quick-service chain now boasts a variety of new items including pasta topped with shrimp Alfredo, garlic mashed potatoes, cinnamon apples and peaches, and grilled offerings—including shrimp and tilapia—to appeal to health-conscious diners.
If the menu sounds more like one at a casual-dining restaurant, that’s exactly the point, says Mark Miller, director of research and development for Nashville, Tenn.-based Captain D’s.
“We are QSR, but we are trying to push ourselves away from the mind-set,” he says. “We are trying to give the casual-dining seafood restaurant experience, but without the long dining time.”
Miller, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and a veteran of several major chains, including Applebee’s, Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings, was recruited by Captain D’s in 2005 to engineer its first major culinary makeover in two decades.
The fruits of his labors were unveiled last August and are gradually being added to stores as part of a larger concept overhaul by Captain D’s parent company Sagittarius Brands, which acquired the chain two years ago.
The menu retains classics like the batter-dipped fillets and deluxe seafood platter, but also takes off in new directions, most notably with the grilled items. Those include Alaskan salmon, tilapia and shrimp skewers, which all can be ordered with an option of blackened seasoning. The number of available sides has been doubled to 14.
Miller says his first consideration in changing the menu was equipment rather than recipes. He wanted to make sure he could find equipment that could allow for fast grilling to meet the need for speed in the quick-service setting. He tested several options, including a full-contact grill and a char-broiler, but ended up selecting a griddle with a clamshell hood that allows for fast cooking. The setup costs between $3,500 and $4,500, and has been added to about a dozen restaurants so far.
Before, salmon was steamed. Now it is grilled.
“It tasted pretty good before but didn’t have the flavors and caramelization the grill brings in,” Miller says. “It is 100 times better.”
The salmon is served as a platter as well as in a sandwich on on ciabatta bread.
Sales in units where the grills have been added have far exceeded expectations, rising 20 percent during what Miller calls the honeymoon period, and then settling in around 10 percent higher than before the grills were added. The expectation had been for an initial sales pop of 12 percent that would settle to 5 percent, he says. The average check at these units, between $5 and $6, is 15 to 20 cents higher than at those without the grills.
Limited-time offers are selling well, such as a $6.99 Lent special of seasoned tilapia—a 5-ounce portion—served over lemony rice, Miller says.
A native of Philadelphia, Miller wanted to make sure Captain D’s new items had Southern charm. He read Southern cookbooks, checked out competitors and looked to local vendors for ideas, he says.
New-menu rollout: August 2006Company: Captain D’s Seafood KitchenHeadquarters: Nashville, Tenn.Units: 600Region: 26 states, the Caribbean and international military basesSelected new entrées: seasoned grilled tilapia with rice, $5.99; grilled Alaskan salmon platter, $5.99; grilled shrimp skewer platter, $6.49; pasta bowl with creamy shrimp Alfredo, $4. 99.Selected new side dishes: garlic mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cinnamon apples and peaches, and roasted red potatoes, all $1.29 eachMenu developer: Mark Miller
Miller, who did not have an internal research and development staff, says vendors were willing to do limited runs of his recipes and to help in the product development process. He spent several days with the chefs at one Tennessee vendor to tweak recipes. One such adjustment was the addition of nutmeg to macaroni and cheese, a new side dish.
New products were tested internally as well as in restaurants where guests were asked to sample products. Response to the side dishes has been positive, he says. Research showed that only 40 percent of customers knew they could swap one side for another. Now that such an option is made clear in the stores, customers are enjoying being able to choose, he says.
Special Report
Because restaurants at all levels of service want to appeal to consumers’ increasing interest in health as well as new tastes, Captain D’s is on the mark with its menu revamp, says Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of foodservice strategies for WD Partners, a foodservice consulting firm in Columbus, Ohio.
“They can increase the reach of the consumer,” Lombardi says, “and the frequency can be enhanced, and the veto vote decreased.”
