We all know that the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is causing an incredible hardship for tourism and the hospitality industry. We’ve also heard about the poor fisherman who can no longer fish or make a living. The amount of money lost will be well into the $10 billion mark by the end of the summer. That sounds like a lot of money, but you must also realize that the oil industry brings in about $160 billion a year in those Gulf States.
Nevertheless, if you are a fisherman, and part of a $2-$3 billion a year industry, you don’t feel like taking a back seat, and you have to worry how to make your house payments, feed your family, and pay for your boat so the bank doesn’t repossess it. Not the bank can take it anywhere anyway if it is stuck in the harbor with oil everywhere. Now then, let’s talk about another industry that no one is thinking about, the restaurant industry around the country.
Yes that’s right, many people are no longer buying fish, because they are afraid that the fish may have been caught in the Gulf of Mexico and have been polluted. If you recall after the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina flooded out all the cars – many of these used cars were found all over the country, as they were sent to the auto auctions and sold to unsuspecting people. Because of this no one is trusting the fish, people are very leery about ordering fish on the menu of any restaurant especially in the Gulf areas, but also around the country.
Not long ago, I was at the local grocery store in CA and I couldn’t believe that catfish was marked down significantly. I know for a fact where that catfish comes from, it comes from fish farms in California, and some comes from Peru, it didn’t come from the Gulf of Mexico, but no one is buying it in the grocery store because they don’t know, they are unsure, and they simply aren’t willing to take the risk.
Many restaurants are simply taking “catfish” and other fish perceived to come from the Gulf off their menus, because customers are skeptical to order them now. It’s killing the fishing industry in the US and it will also hurt fish farmers in all coastal areas as far away as Alaska, and Asia, which imports mega-tons worth of fish every year to the USA.
A recent article in QSR Magazine (QSR = Quick Service Restaurant); “Will the Oil Spill Affect Your Menu? – It’s not just BP execs and politicians who are scrambling to clean up the Gulf Coast oil spill,” written by Carolyn Surh – this article clearly outlines the economic challenges of the oil spill with regard to consumer perception. If you’d like a complete rundown on this topic I suggest you look that article up online. And I hope you will please consider how serious this is to the entire restaurant sector both fast food, and fine dining restaurants. Think on it.
