It’s a time for sacrifice and abstention, but at least for some, the 40-day Christian season of Lent, which begins this week, represents a marketing opportunity.

Lent has nowhere near the economic clout of Christmas and Easter, but for selected businesses and industries, it can mean a major boost in revenue, as well as a chance to lure new customers or introduce new products. For instance, McDonald’s famous Filet-O-Fish sandwich, which turns 53 this year, was first offered by a Cincinnati franchisee looking for an alternative to offer his mostly Catholic customer base.

But the prospect of an annual boost in fish sales is being tempered this year for the industry by bigger-than-expected hauls from Alaska, with the resulting surplus producing historic low prices for salmon and cod. That’s good news for diners looking for an alternative for the seven Fridays when believers are supposed to abstain from eating meat.

According to Undercurrent News, a publication that tracks the peaks and valleys in the fish market, fish processors are under fire to work down bulging inventories. The projections for the 2015 sockeye catch are expected to be bigger than in 2014, suggesting that prices for the fish have yet to bottom out.

The sockeye projection from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game this year from Bristol Bay — which made up more than half of Alaska’s sockeye catch last year — is a whopping 53.98 million fish. This year’s haul adds to the leftover supply from last year’s sockeye harvest, which weighed in at 245.4 million pounds, a 38 percent increase from the 177.7 million pounds brought in during 2013.

With the overflow, the price of sockeye dropped from $3.60 a pound in December to a recent low of $2.65 a pound. ”The packers are pretty desperate to sell fish,” one supplier told the publication. “There are two things that have had a lot of effect on the market. First, we had a lot of sockeye last year. Second, the exchange rate has been tough.”

And companies not known for their fish and vegetarian offerings can jump on the bandwagon for the next 61/2 weeks.

The hamburger chain Five Guys in 2012 did a major publicity push for its less-popular grilled cheese sandwich offering during the Lenten season. Charles St. Clair, a spokesman for the Long John’s Silver seafood chain, told The Washington Times last year that sales can increase up to 40 percent during Lent.

“It’s a big time for seafood in general. It’s kind of our Christmas,” Mr. St. Clair said.

Fish fry season can be a big draw for many church parishes, which organize their own meal offerings as fundraisers.

Holy Trinity National Catholic Church in Washington, for example, starts its fish fry season two weeks before the Lent season officially begins. Fish sandwiches are in high demand at Holy Trinity, said Elaine Brown, financial secretary for the church.

“We average 1,300 fish sandwiches on a typical Friday, and with nine Fridays during the Lenten season, that comes out to about 11,700 fish sandwiches,” Ms. Brown said.

Fast-food chain Carl’s Jr., the fast-food restaurant known for controversial marketing ploys, timed the introduction of its new Redhook Beer Battered Cod Fish Sandwich to the Lenten rush. The restaurant’s new beer-battered fish will be on the menu this upcoming Lenten season. Most fast-food restaurants, catering to families with young children, avoid serving and marketing food made with alcohol, but Carl’s Jr. often takes an edgier approach.

Red Robin, a Colorado-based “gourmet burger” chain, is taking a different approach to draw attention to its new Wild Pacific Crab Cake Burger, which is made of fried jumbo lump, blue and Pacific snow crab topped with arugula, oven-roasted tomatoes, garlic aioli, lettuce and Parmesan cheese.

David Kincheloe, president of the Colorado-based National Restaurant Consultants, told the Web-based QSRMagazine.com that Lent’s defined period also allows companies to quietly bury the duds.

When Lent ends, he noted, “You have an excuse to take it off the menu.”

Source: washingtontimes.com, by Christopher White, 2/18/15

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