Expect value-added seafood to be in high demand this summer as pandemic-fatigued (but now fully vaccinated!) consumers across the country are gearing up for a spending surge.

These anxious folks are looking to shake off the pandemic blues and fuel the foodservice industry’s post-pandemic recovery with a smorgasbord of summer seafood feasts. Restaurants have spent much of the spring preparing for this Great Reopening and are scrambling to secure inventory and rehire staff, while ensuring their venues provide safe environments for patrons and personnel alike.

In addition to the safety protocol challenges, restaurant owners are re-emerging to find an historically challenging supply chain and a starkly different labor market in the post-pandemic world.

Value-added seafood products such as Empire’s Treasure® Breaded Icelandic Cod Tails and Adult Pollock Sticks, with unique and proprietary flavor profiles, can help reduce inventory and labor costs while providing innovative seafood options to patrons. No need to worry about kitchen labor, the price of fish, or the availability of flour and eggs: a unique seafood experience is ready to cook, right out of the box and into the fryer or oven.

Pre-breaded and other value-seafood items also guarantee consistency in flavor, plate appearance, and most importantly usage. Put worries about wasted breading mixtures and unused raw material fish behind you.

As consumers get out this summer and go back to their favorite restaurants, expect restaurants to turn to value-added seafood products to reduce inventory needs and guarantee the quality of their entrees, all while taking pressure off short-staffed BOH employees.