“During Lent, we see 25 percent to 40 percent increases in our weekly unit volumes,” Charles St. Clair, chief marketing officer at Long John Silver’s (LJS), told SeafoodSource. Plus, the consumer awareness that LJS generates from its Lent promotions help boost the chain’s sales throughout the year, St. Clair said.
Many years during Lent, LJS simply highlights seafood products that it already carries. However, this year, the restaurant operator is looking to grow sales further with a limited-time offer of Norway Lobster Bites. Lobster Bites have not been featured on LJS’s menu since 2009, when the company featured Langostino Lobster Bites.
“We didn’t have enough supply to keep it on the menu. However, there is an adequate supply of Norway lobster, a wild product caught off the coast of Ireland. It is heavily used in restaurants in Europe, but not a lot in the U.S.,” St. Clair said.
Meanwhile, a non-seafood restaurant chain, Tropical Smoothie Café, began offering Fish Mojo Tacos with grilled tilapia on 24 February, accompanied by its first national TV ad. As a result, restaurant chain executives expect the limited-time offer to produce more sales than last year, when it launched Fish Tropical Tacos, also using grilled tilapia.
“We experienced a 16 percent increase in [overall] food sales versus the prior year,” Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café, told SeafoodSource. “We saw tacos as an opportunity to satisfy consumer demand for great-tasting, better-for-you food choices during a time of year when people were thinking about eating better due to New Year’s resolutions.”
Taco John’s also brought back its Fish Tacos for a limited time, while Del Taco is featuring a Crispy Shrimp Taco and Crispy Shrimp Burrito for Lent. The sandwich chains are getting on board Lent promotions too: Subway is offering a Spicy Tuna sub in select markets and Quiznos is carrying a Lobster & Seafood Salad Sub and a Lobster & Seafood Salad.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brought back their Charbroiled Atlantic Cod Fish Sandwich for a limited time, and Arby’s is featuring its Reel Big Fillet Sandwich during Lent. Smartly, Arby’s partnered with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) to promote its wild-caught Alaska Pollock sandwich. Arby’s is featuring the ASMI logo in TV advertising, print collateral/direct mail and in-store merchandising materials for Reel Big Fillet.
Meanwhile, King & Prince Seafood is offering a rebate for restaurant operators who buy the supplier’s foodservice products during Lent. “We see a unique chance for operators to turn occasional seafood diners into long-term seafood lovers,” said Mike Tigani, director of marketing at King & Prince Seafood.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Report on Vietnam Pangasius Sector 2015–2024, produced and released by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) in January 2025, is expected to provide enterprises, importers, and government agencies with a comprehensive overview of key developments in Vietnam's pangasius production and export over the past decade. In addition to highlighting achievements, the report identifies existing challenges and analyzes future opportunities and threats for the pangasius industry.
(vasep.com.vn) Overcoming two years of fluctuation in both export markets and domestic production, Vietnam's pangasius industry has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and a strong determination to seize opportunities and boost exports to various markets. As a result, in 2024, pangasius exports reached USD 2 billion, a 9% increase compared to 2023. This achievement is a source of pride for Vietnam's aquaculture and agriculture sectors.
(seafood.vasep.com) Speaking at a conference to implement the 2025 plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged the agricultural sector to strive for a total export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products reaching $70 billion by 2025.
With robust production and processing infrastructure, combined with continuous market development efforts, Vietnam’s seafood exports are poised for 10–15% growth in 2025.
In 2025, seafood exports are expected to continue to grow better and could reach 11 billion USD as in 2022. However, this is also the year the seafood industry will face challenges, including increased competition from other countries, trade wars and market barriers...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of December 25, at Toan Thinh Conference Center (Soc Trang City), the Soc Trang Fisheries Sub-department, under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang, held a conference to review the 2024 aquaculture activities and outline the brackish water shrimp farming plan for 2025. The event was attended by Ms. Quach Thi Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang.
The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang aims to achieve export value of over 1.9 billion USD in 2025 by boosting production and processing of key products such as seafood, high-quality rice, fruits, and garments.
The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has significantly boosted Vietnamese seafood exports, with shrimp and pangasius leading the charge in the UK market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In November 2024, Vietnam's tuna exports failed to maintain the rapid growth momentum seen earlier. Export value during the month increased by nearly 4% year-on-year, reaching approximately USD 82 million. Cumulatively, the export value for the first 11 months of 2024 totaled USD 903 million, a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2023. However, at this growth rate, the total export turnover for 2024 is estimated to only reach around USD 1 billion.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the evening of December 24, 2024, in Hanoi, the Central Youth Union, Viet nam Youth Federation and the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association held the Vietnam Golden Star Award Ceremony 2024, with the theme "Reaching Vietnam", honoring 200 outstanding enterprises. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh attended.
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