ROSEVILLE, Minn. — The first Friday of Lent felt like old times at the Roseville VFW Post 7555.
Bolstered by a hockey tournament next door, crowds streamed through the front door of the club early Friday afternoon, in anticipation of the popular $11.95 fish fry featuring cod, walleye or a ribeye substitute.
“It’s great,” Club Commander Doug Setley said. “We haven’t had it the last couple of years.”
But after a COVID hiatus, Setley expects demand to soar throughout Lent on the Friday fish fry nights. During the worst days of the shutdown, Setley said he was able to refurbish the club, and he managed to retain his staff throughout the pandemic.
Now, COVID cases have dropped, mask rules have loosened, and optimism has returned.
“One of our biggest assets is our employees, I think. They hung with us through the whole shut down,” Setley said. “And they’re still here. And that’s probably one of the reasons we are as successful as we are right now.”
While many fish fry locations are enjoying a triumphant return in 2022, others have not been so lucky.
In Dayton, Minn., the Daytona Country Club announced that it will cancel its famous Friday night fish fry special this year because of supply chain issues. In a note to customers, the club wrote: “Please know that this is a tough decision but it’s one we reluctantly must make to sustain our credibility and integrity in our famous fish fry.”
In an interview, Daytona Country Club manager Mark Orwoll said his team did not want to sacrifice the quality of the fish fry by relying on substitute items.
“We’re pretty specific, and we don’t want to take that chance. A lot of people come here because this is one of their favorite spots,” Orwoll said. “We’ve been doing this for 19 years, and hopefully we’ll be back at it and doing it another 19 years after this off-season.”
At the VFW in Roseville, Doug Setley said he did have some initial concerns about supply chain disruptions, but ultimately he was able to secure all of the necessary ingredients and materials.
“Our vendors stuck with us. And actually, the sales rep from our vendor, he delivered stuff to us personally if we really got into a bind,” Setley said. “So, we’ve been lucky. We’ve been OK.”
For a list of some of the most popular fish fry locations in 2022, check out this link.
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