Captain D's Seafood Posts Record Sales Gains During Lent.

Business Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2003

What the peak holiday selling season from Thanksgiving to Christmas means to retailers, Lent means to the seafood industry.

Each year, many Catholics fast at prescribed times during the 40-day Lenten period leading up to Easter. Because part of the fasting ritual involves not eating meat, Lent has become the busiest time of year for seafood restaurants and purveyors.

From the week of Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, Captain D's Seafood, a 563-unit chain based in Nashville, Tenn., posted same-store sales increases of 4.2 percent versus the same period in 2002. In addition, 55 of its company-owned and 43 of its franchised units achieved individual sales records during the period.

"Lent is a very special time of year for Catholics, and it give us a tremendous feeling to know that we play a part in its observation," says President and COO Ronald E. Walker.

During Lent, Captain D's Seafood offers a number of special promotions, especially on those items that customers who don't typically eat a lot of seafood find most enjoyable. For example, a system-wide "Shrimp Celebration," which included three separate meal specials centered around fried shrimp, helped drive the chain's Lenten sales.

Initial customer response to the promotion was so overwhelming that the company had to arrange fresh sources of supply to ensure it would be able to meet demand.

"Shrimp is an extremely popular menu item all year long, but especially during Lent," says Vice President of Purchasing Jeff Suber. "Within the first couple weeks of the promotion, 'Shrimp Celebration' was selling at a pace that exceeded our projections for the entire Lenten season, so we had to do some quick negotiating with our suppliers in order to sustain our restaurants' supply."

On a typical Friday during Lent, Captain D's Seafood units in Nashville, Tenn., where the company is based, are so busy that many restaurant managers find they can use additional staff. To help them handle the increased traffic, the company dispatches headquarters staff to the restaurants, allowing them to maintain the level of hospitality and customer service that Captain D's Seafood customers expect.

Employees at all levels, from executive assistants to President and COO Walker, take regular shifts preparing fish and other food items, delivering free refills and assisting customers. It's also not uncommon to see them washing dishes, cleaning tables and emptying trash cans.

"We work as a team at every level of our organization to make sure help is available where it is needed," said Walker. "We would never let the fact that we're busier than usual affect our customer experience, so everyone pitches in. It promotes a strong sense of comradery, plus it keeps our corporate employees in touch with our customers."

About Captain D's

Captain D's Seafood is a pioneer and leader in the fast-casual dining category. The company offers its customers great seafood at reasonable prices in a relaxed environment that embodies the fun and romance of dock-side seafood shacks.

Each Captain D's Seafood restaurant serves a seafood menu centered around the company's signature fried fish, which is hand cut, hand battered and made to order to ensure freshness. The restaurants also offer premium-quality baked and broiled fish, as well as shrimp, chicken and home-style side dishes.

Inside, the restaurants feature naturally aged woods, an embossed tin ceiling, hanging steel lights and a galvanized steel awning over the dining room, as well as nautical artifacts and local navigational charts, giving them a relaxed, coastal style.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's Seafood owns, operates and franchises more than 560 restaurants in 24 states. The first store was opened in Donelson, Tenn., in 1969 as Mr. D's. The company later changed its name to Captain D's Seafood and became Captain D's, LLC. in August 2000.