Captain Ds head chef Jason Henderson spent the past couple days in Alabama, eating at seafood restaurants like Bonefish Grill and Wintzells to keep an eye on competitors.
“We check out the competition,” Henderson said. “What are they doing that we need to be aware of and understand?”
Wait a minute. Captain Ds has a head chef? And he considers Bonefish Grill and Wintzells the competition?
This is a busy time of year for seafood restaurants because of an ancient Christian tradition of fasting from red meat during Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter. “Its a big time of year for us,” said Henderson. He grew up in Virginia in a non-denominational Christian church that didnt observe Lent, but once he was in the restaurant business, he quickly found out that Lent is important.
Business at Captain Ds is better on Fridays because of a centuries-old Catholic tradition of eating fish on Fridays, rather than red meat. Its a spiritual discipline to focus the mind on prayer and repentance. “Our core customers come in more during Lent,” Henderson said. “That time of year, youre selling fish. If youre not selling fish, youre losing sales.”
During Lent, non-seafood restaurants often offer a seasonal fish sandwich that is below the quality of fish that Captain Ds offers, Henderson said. “Theyll sell a square fish patty thats pressed and formed,” he said. “We dont have that.”
Captain Ds has a mix of fresh and frozen fish, and Henderson vouches for the quality of all the fish, much of it wild cod from Alaska. “Ive been on the fishing boats in Alaska,” he said. “The technology is amazing. They even have video cameras on the nets to make sure there arent too many fish in the net, because then they begin pressing on each other and that damages the fish.”
The fish are then taken to a dock with a factory where they are immediately cleaned and frozen, then shipped to the South. Henderson said the quality of fish frozen to high standards exceeds the quality of fish kept on ice from Alaska to Alabama. “Id rather eat that frozen fish,” he said.
Captain Ds also uses farmed catfish from Alabama and Mississippi, and farm-raised tilapia, white fish and salmon. Henderson knows a little about fish. He has a bachelors degree in fisheries and wildlife from Virginia Tech University, where he studied fish science and raised tilapia.
He later graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, worked at the French pavilion at Disneys Epcot Center, worked as a seafood broker, helped the U.S. military establish restaurants at bases all over the world, and worked as a research and development chef for several companies. “I got to see where the food came from,” he said. He joined a new management team at Captain Ds three years ago, and served as president of the International Corporate Chefs Association in 2012-13. Before that he lived in Kansas City for nine years, working for Applebees and AMC Theaters, both headquartered there. He helped AMC develop its restaurant-theaters, where moviegoers can eat a meal during the movie. “You cant do foods that need to be cut with a knife and fork, because its too dark in the theater,” he said.
Working in the culinary department at Applebees, he saw how a major chain restaurant can change the dining habits of a nation. During a scare over the safety of spinach, Applebees switched to arugula, and spread the popularity of a then little-known leafy vegetable into a nationwide phenomenon. When Applebees started serving tilapia at more than 2,000 restaurants, most people had never heard of it, Henderson said. Now its one of the most popular fish to eat in America.
Captain Ds, headquartered in Nashville, has 510 restaurants, mostly in the Southeast. The company owns 60 percent of the restaurants and the rest are owned by franchisees. They have all undergone radical renovations over the past couple years. Each restaurant now has updated decor and a new grilling system that cooks fish at 750 degrees. “It sears in the moisture, locks in the taste,” Henderson said.
That opened up a grilled menu with healthy offerings, such as grilled tilapia with Chesapeake spice, or blackened tilapia. Of course, you can still get fried, breaded fish planks and hushpuppies. “Were known for our breaded fish,” Henderson said. “We are a Southeastern regional restaurant. People in the South like things breaded in cornmeal and fried, with a little bit of Cajun spice but not too spicy, just with a Southern zest. They love us down here.”
Only about 10 percent of the business at Captain Ds is grilled food right now, but its likely to increase, Henderson said. The light menu includes five or six items under 500 calories.
“Our staple is fried fish, hushpuppies and cole slaw,” Henderson said. “Thats what most people want. Our customers know were seafood experts. They want variety. They come to us for value and for what they know, but also for something new.”
Captain Ds is constantly testing possible new items and surveying customers. “Only three percent of our guests eat on the go,” Henderson said. “People like a sit-down experience. We only have one sandwich on the menu. We have moved to real plates and silverware for a better dining experience.”
Hendersons culinary exploration has taken him to the Texas State Fair, where the fried food bonanza inspired a current dessert at Captain Ds: “Funnel Cake Stix.”
They are promoted on table-tent cards at every Captain Ds. Its glazed funnel cake in stick shapes. “People like to share their dessert,” Henderson said. “Sticks are real easy to share.”
The promotional cards on the table all have Hendersons picture on them. Hes kind of a Captain Ds celebrity. One of the staff members at Captain Ds in Pelham who has worked there 10 years asked him for his autograph when he visited the restaurant this week. Customers sometimes recognize him. Yes, Captain Ds has a head chef, who is also vice president for product innovation.
What Is The Captain D’s Way?
It’s the way we take care and pride in serving you a special seafood meal (that you don’t need a special occasion to enjoy). It’s the way we select the very best ingredients, like our Wild Caught Salmon, and how we freshly prepare them for you: We batter and bread our whole muscle fillets by hand or season and fire grill them, each one made-to-order. Sides like our hush puppies or coleslaw are mixed and prepared from scratch every day in our restaurants. And our famous Batter Dipped Fish is hand-dipped into our signature batter we prepare in-house every day—the special, secret blend is savory and slightly seasoned and cooks to a crisp, craveable deliciousness. And the care we take doesn’t stop in the kitchen—you’ll be greeted with a smile when you walk in and served with pleasure when your order is ready.
At Captain D’s, we believe that everyone should enjoy delicious, affordable seafood meals. We start with finding the best ingredients to make those meals just for you—we search the seven seas, along with a few lakes and a river or two, for our fish and seafood. It’s important to us to make sure our food isn’t just delicious, but that it is also of the highest quality. We also don’t cut corners on quality, which is why the fish we serve is a whole fillet cut from the tenderloin.
At Captain D’s, we strive to serve you the best quality seafood, without letting our prices get higher than the tide.
We analyzed all of the items on this chart on an individual basis. We did not include breadsticks, hush puppies, dipping sauces, and other sides as part of any meal. Instead, we analyzed those items separately. Please take into account all components of a meal to determine the final nutrition, allergen and sensitivity content of your complete meal.
Wait a minute. Captain Ds has a head chef? And he considers Bonefish Grill and Wintzells the competition?
He later graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, worked at the French pavilion at Disneys Epcot Center, worked as a seafood broker, helped the U.S. military establish restaurants at bases all over the world, and worked as a research and development chef for several companies. “I got to see where the food came from,” he said. He joined a new management team at Captain Ds three years ago, and served as president of the International Corporate Chefs Association in 2012-13. Before that he lived in Kansas City for nine years, working for Applebees and AMC Theaters, both headquartered there. He helped AMC develop its restaurant-theaters, where moviegoers can eat a meal during the movie. “You cant do foods that need to be cut with a knife and fork, because its too dark in the theater,” he said.
Captain Ds has a mix of fresh and frozen fish, and Henderson vouches for the quality of all the fish, much of it wild cod from Alaska. “Ive been on the fishing boats in Alaska,” he said. “The technology is amazing. They even have video cameras on the nets to make sure there arent too many fish in the net, because then they begin pressing on each other and that damages the fish.”
Captain Ds, headquartered in Nashville, has 510 restaurants, mostly in the Southeast. The company owns 60 percent of the restaurants and the rest are owned by franchisees. They have all undergone radical renovations over the past couple years. Each restaurant now has updated decor and a new grilling system that cooks fish at 750 degrees. “It sears in the moisture, locks in the taste,” Henderson said.
“Our staple is fried fish, hushpuppies and cole slaw,” Henderson said. “Thats what most people want. Our customers know were seafood experts. They want variety. They come to us for value and for what they know, but also for something new.”
FAQ
What kind of fish does Captain D’s use on their sandwiches?
Does Captain D’s use flounder?