Bob Evans Restaurants has long offered a fried fish platter on its menu, a dish that consistently rose in popularity during Lent.
“We always featured an 8-ounce fillet of wild-caught Alaskan cod,” said Amy Litzinger, VP of brand management for the New Albany, Ohio-based family dining chain. “This year, we sourced smaller 2½ to 3-ounce portions instead.”
Bob Evans is still using the same wild-caught Alaskan cod, but instead of plating one big piece of fried fish, guests get three smaller ones—more like fried fish fingers. The downsized fish fillets are garnished with two fried onion rings, what Litzinger calls “Midwest hush puppies,” and served with a side of dill tartar sauce—a new condiment with “amped-up flavor.”
“Customers prefer multiple smaller pieces because they can pick them up with their hands and dip the fish in the tartar sauce,” she said. “We use the same batter and seasonings, but multiple pieces mean more surface area and more crunch.” Everyone knows it’s the crunch that counts.
The new Fish Fry Platter goes for $11.99, a slightly lower price than the larger fillet for what can amount to a slightly larger entrée by weight. Bob Evans partners with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to spec the wild cod, and the margins are better, savings the restaurants pass on to the guest, said Litzinger.
“It’s the right price point at the right time,” she added, referring to the Lenten season. Sales shot up 230% over 2023 figures, triplingthose of last year’s cod entrée. The new cod fillets also go into a Fried Fish Sandwich, which is priced at $10.99 and outsells Bob Evans’ fried chicken sandwich, Litzinger said.
The revised Fried Fish Sandwich outsells Bob Evans' fried chicken sandwich. | Photo courtesy of Bob Evans.
Marketing also played a part in the success of the wild cod items. “We took a beautiful photo and put it on the front flap of our menu,” she added.
The Fish Fry Platter will remain on the core menu, as will the Fried Shrimp Dinner—another item that sees a sales surge during Lent, but this year, not as much as the fried fish. Bob Evans also introduced an LTO of Lemon Pepper Sole Fillets as a “low-carb option,” but the fried seafood choices ruled, said Litzinger. The sole fillets may depart the menu soon.
What’s next?
Bob Evans is exploring flavors and ingredients outside the traditional family dining box. “We serve all ages and all attitudes,” said Litzinger, citing the Dang Hot Chicken Sandwich introduced recently, where the chain snuck a little Nashville hot and black pepper into the flavor profile.
Another new development is a higher-quality salad base that includes fresh arugula and spinach along with the usual lettuce. It appears in a new Steakhouse Salad with blue cheese and balsamic dressing.
The same balsamic dressing is tossed with a new grilled chicken salad with feta and roasted red peppers; the chicken is grilled to order. “We are known in the midscale segment for our salads and these ingredients elevate the items,” said Litzinger.
Bob Evans also has more sauces in the pipeline, experimenting with sweet, spicy and fermented flavors. But the family dining chain is not yet ready to ID the latter. “We would never call out fermented,” Litzinger said.