I wonder if the loss of Arthur Treacher's is the opposite of the Catholic-lent issue. For the other 300+ days a year, fast food fish doesn't level with people. Kids especially. I think LJS is a co-branded store with A&W in most markets. McD's and the others only offer their fish sandwiches during lent. And most of your Northeastern cities and towns with heavy Catholic populations have plenty of locally-owned seafood stores and volunteer fire department fish fries during lent. It's a recipe for extinction.
Still, when in the Rehoboth Beach area in the dead of summer, I will visit Go Fish. https://gofishrehoboth.com/
Interesting. (I don't believe the Filet O Fish is only sold during Lent, though.)
I should have maybe explained more, but before Vatican II Catholics were required to abstain from meat *every* Friday, not just Lenten Fridays. That was relaxed in 1966 (we're still supposed to do some kind of "penance" on Fridays which is not entirely defined, can be abstaining from meat or lots of other things). So by the time you get to the 1980s that practice I guess had pretty much fallen away. Then again Arthur Treacher's was founded after 1966.
I forgot the pre-Vatican II bit about fish on Fridays. I was an 80s Catholic kid raised on a steady diet of F-o-F sandwiches in my youth. Maybe it's a Northeast thing but McD's is seasonal. I'm also not a big fan of haddock, which is the ubiquitous Friday fish in Upstate NY. I'm not particularly observant of this anymore, but when I do seek out fish on Fridays I go to one of the soul food spots in town.
The last Arthur Treacher's in the Syracuse area -- if I remember correctly -- was in the big mall here. It last a year or two. There was a standalone on the east side that was leveled some years ago for a Krispy Kreme, which was then leveled and turned into a Dunkin. Progress?
I live around the corner from that old Arthur Treachers in Fairfax and it’s been converted to a Korean Fried Chicken place….that still randomly has Fish and Chips on the menu!
There was an Arthur Treacher’s at the Great Lakes Mall food court in Mentor, Ohio when I was growing up. I remember being shocked when I learned that he was not only a real man, but a British actor who had played the constable in Mary Poppins! I only ate there maybe 2-3 times in my childhood- I don’t remember it being especially good food.
Never ate at one, although I'm old enough to have done so even a few years ago. Never had a sense that it would be great - rather than "seafood can be tricky, I'd rather order it at a restaurant," I think I figured, how can a fast-food chain do seafood that well? I'd kind of like to try this one in Ohio though if I ever pass through!
I remember going to one with my parents in the late 70s/early 80s, but I don’t remember exactly where. We lived in Glen Rock in Bergen County NJ so it must have been in a town somewhere relatively close. As a kid, I liked it well enough, but also going out for dinner back then was a bit of a “treat” so even fast food felt special. Of course, anything fried (well) then and now tastes good. Though my adult self can’t enjoy it as much because I know how unhealthy it is.
Reminds me of The Last Blockbuster in Bend, OR https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(Bend,_Oregon)
I wonder if the loss of Arthur Treacher's is the opposite of the Catholic-lent issue. For the other 300+ days a year, fast food fish doesn't level with people. Kids especially. I think LJS is a co-branded store with A&W in most markets. McD's and the others only offer their fish sandwiches during lent. And most of your Northeastern cities and towns with heavy Catholic populations have plenty of locally-owned seafood stores and volunteer fire department fish fries during lent. It's a recipe for extinction.
Still, when in the Rehoboth Beach area in the dead of summer, I will visit Go Fish. https://gofishrehoboth.com/
Interesting. (I don't believe the Filet O Fish is only sold during Lent, though.)
I should have maybe explained more, but before Vatican II Catholics were required to abstain from meat *every* Friday, not just Lenten Fridays. That was relaxed in 1966 (we're still supposed to do some kind of "penance" on Fridays which is not entirely defined, can be abstaining from meat or lots of other things). So by the time you get to the 1980s that practice I guess had pretty much fallen away. Then again Arthur Treacher's was founded after 1966.
I forgot the pre-Vatican II bit about fish on Fridays. I was an 80s Catholic kid raised on a steady diet of F-o-F sandwiches in my youth. Maybe it's a Northeast thing but McD's is seasonal. I'm also not a big fan of haddock, which is the ubiquitous Friday fish in Upstate NY. I'm not particularly observant of this anymore, but when I do seek out fish on Fridays I go to one of the soul food spots in town.
The last Arthur Treacher's in the Syracuse area -- if I remember correctly -- was in the big mall here. It last a year or two. There was a standalone on the east side that was leveled some years ago for a Krispy Kreme, which was then leveled and turned into a Dunkin. Progress?
I live around the corner from that old Arthur Treachers in Fairfax and it’s been converted to a Korean Fried Chicken place….that still randomly has Fish and Chips on the menu!
Oh wow, that's awesome! I wonder if they kept that unique fish fryer the owner in Ohio talked about!
I’ve never thought to order the fish and chips there but now I’m curious!
The Cod Wars were between the UK and Iceland, not Ireland.
There was an Arthur Treacher’s at the Great Lakes Mall food court in Mentor, Ohio when I was growing up. I remember being shocked when I learned that he was not only a real man, but a British actor who had played the constable in Mary Poppins! I only ate there maybe 2-3 times in my childhood- I don’t remember it being especially good food.
Never ate at one, although I'm old enough to have done so even a few years ago. Never had a sense that it would be great - rather than "seafood can be tricky, I'd rather order it at a restaurant," I think I figured, how can a fast-food chain do seafood that well? I'd kind of like to try this one in Ohio though if I ever pass through!
I remember going to one with my parents in the late 70s/early 80s, but I don’t remember exactly where. We lived in Glen Rock in Bergen County NJ so it must have been in a town somewhere relatively close. As a kid, I liked it well enough, but also going out for dinner back then was a bit of a “treat” so even fast food felt special. Of course, anything fried (well) then and now tastes good. Though my adult self can’t enjoy it as much because I know how unhealthy it is.