March Madness tipped off this week and will bring a slew of customers into restaurants and bars.
The Lenten season is now more than two weeks in bringing customers into eating establishments.
And fast-food restaurants observe Lent but ignore most other religious holidays and here’s why.
According to Wendy’s ads, it’s now “seafood season.”
Menus designed to cater to Christians
That means the fast-food chain’s limited-time-only Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich is available from now until April 20.
Wendy’s can say otherwise, but most have figured out that since its final day on the menu is Easter Sunday, this is a sandwich designed to cater to those celebrating Lent, a Christian observance.
While it is mostly associated with the Catholic faith, many other denominations observe Lent as well.
It is a time when many who observe it abstain from meat (which in Catholicism, at least, includes mammals and poultry, but not fish).
Lou Groen created the Filet-O-Fish sandwich in 1962 to make sure the heavily Catholic clientele at his Cincinnati McDonald’s had something to eat during Lent.
Since then, many hamburger-based fast-food restaurants have offered some sort of limited-edition seafood option to cater to Americans who observe Lent.
This year, Del Taco has upped its game and is offering three seafood specials through April 23.
Del Taco president Tom Rose calls them “the perfect combo for Lent season.”
Arby’s has a “limited time” menu of two crispy fish sandwiches.
Popeye’s already serves seafood all year, but now it’s offering a shrimp tacklebox and a fried flounder sandwich for Lent.
It’s all about selling fish
And Lent stands apart from other Christian holidays for fast-food chains.
While fast-food restaurants may offer specials like spider-shaped doughnuts for Halloween, pink drinks for Valentine’s Day, and red and green food and drinks for Christmas, Lent specials stand apart.
That’s because they revolve around the traditional dietary restrictions of the Chrisitan observance.
Many Lenten observers either eat fish on Fridays during Lent, or replace meat with fish for the entire time.
Lent does not involve an outright fast, nor is it just a one-day-only observance.
This allows restaurants to design a specific menu around the food observers eat during the season.
While it’s difficult to estimate exactly how many Americans observe Lent, a 2021 YouGov survey reported the number 16 percent.
Some say the actual number is closer to 25%.
And a recent Gallup poll says that even though church attendance and membership is declining, 68 percent of Americans still identify as Christians.
Only 22 percent are Catholic, which is the same number of Americans who say they don’t identify with any religion at all.
About 7 percent of Americans identify as all other religions, including Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist.
A 2015 poll showed that among practicing Catholics, only 47 percent gave up something for Lent.
But culturally across the country, observance of Lent seems to extend beyond the devout Catholic practitioners.
According to Chowhound, of the 300 million Filet-O-Fish sandwiches McDonald’s sells every year, roughly 75 million (about 25%) are sold just during the 40 days of Lent.
And that is more than enough for fast-food restaurants to take notice.
“We started serving seafood to expand our menu offerings beyond chicken, cater to regional tastes, and appeal to guests looking for alternative protein options, especially during Lent, when many people avoid eating meat,” Popeyes told Eater.
