November/December 2020

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pay fair prices to the fishermen. There hasn’t been a single complaint.” In the last six months, he’s seen a decided uplift in community support for local produce. “There is a real hyper focus on supporting the region and small business.” Shane Robilliard, executive chef and Food-and-Beverage director at Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, N.S., says even though the East Coast has lagged the West when it comes to sustainable seafood, “We’re finally getting to a place where customers are appreciating it and willing to pay more. It used to be draining to try and get the message across, but it’s been exciting to see the education of the guest has finally caught up.” He reports that choice has been stable through the pandemic in his neck of the woods. “I’d say we’re at 85 per cent of where they were last year in terms of revenues. But I do worry about some smaller suppliers struggling with lower volumes. I hope they can make it through all this.” Menu offerings such as locally farmed Sustainable Blue salmon have picked up over the last couple of years. “It’s one item that has skyrocketed. It accounts for up to 20 per cent of menu sales,” Robilliard says. He says another item gaining traction is Arctic char. “We added a locally farmed product at the end of July. It completely blew me away how fast it sold, so we immediately put it on the menu.” Popular sustainable staples also include longline halibut, fresh trout from the property’s trout farms and even octopus on occasion. “Of course, we go through mountains of lobster when it’s in season. This year, the cost is about $1.50 less a lb., which is nice to see.” Oysters continue to be a significant piece of business at Fox Harb’r Resort and Robilliard is doing his best to support the local suppliers, who he estimates have lost 30 per cent of their overseas sales and are down 50 per cent on their overall sales. it’s not only how you grow it, but also how well you can supply it. people selling to restaurants need to know if they can fulfill sales orders. [Operators] need that predictability to plan their menus and fixed costs Wade Scott, Quality Assurance manager for Fisherman’s Market in Halifax reports that for both shellfish and fin fish, volumes are somewhat l imited, but improving. “The market sucks up every pound we can ship.” Within three weeks of the lockdown, Fisherman’s Market’s sales dropped 70 per cent, but then started to pick up to the point where it’s now down 40 per cent from the same time the previous year. Scott says they were fortunate in that they developed a crisis-management program early in the pandemic. “We did a quick inventory when lockdown came and ordered well ahead because of the slowness of delivery. We never ran out or had to refuse a client.” Fresh ideas Beyond coastal waters, sustainable freshwater seafood is having a surge of its own, as the number of aquaculture operations grows. St. Thomas , Ont.-based Susan Cole, board president of the Ontario Aquaculture Association and co-owner of Cole-Munro Foods Group Inc., says rainbow trout accounts for 93 per cent of freshwater-farm seafood supply in the province, followed by shrimp. Up-and-coming species also include tilapia, Arctic char and barramundi. Freshwater-lake wild catch is mainly yellow perch, pickerel and whitefish. Beyond the variety of options, reliability of supply is critical, Cole says. “It’s not only how you grow it, but also how well you can supply it. People selling to restaurants need to know if they can fulfill sales orders. [Operators] need that predictability to plan their menus and fixed costs.” She’s been excited to see a number of innovative approaches on the part of chefs and restaurants in areas such as meal kits and prepared meal services through retail partnerships. “Prior to COVID-19, 38 per cent of meals consumed were in restaurants. That went down to nine per cent during the height of the lockdowns, which meant turning more to retailers. Operators have had to really change their thinking and delivery mechanisms. Partnerships will be key.” Kostyniuk is also pleased to see operators applying a number of innovative approaches to promoting sustainable-seafood consumption. “People are going out of their way to stay in business and keep offering incredible food — whether it’s food trucks, food delivery, takeout or pickup. We’re seeing unbelievable resilience and a commitment to staying open.” FH Popular staples at Fox Harb’r Resort include longline halibut and fresh trout 20 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER <strong>2020</strong> FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
SEGMENT REPORT SEGMENT SPOTLIGHT EXAMINING THE PANDEMIC’S IMPACT ON FOODSERVICE SEGMENTS BY DANIELLE SCHALK The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis has had an undeniable impact on the Canadian foodservice industry. Shutdowns, health-and-safety measures and continued uncertainty have created a challenging environment for operators. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM NOVEMBER/DECEMBER OCTOBER <strong>2020</strong> FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 21
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November/December 2020

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