Captain D’s Seafood Restaurant is a fast-casual seafood restaurant chain with locations throughout the United States as well as overseas. The store prides itself in providing great seafood in a friendly and welcoming environment. The restaurant is committed to serving freshly prepared food at a great value. Its core commitment is great food, great prices, and even better service. The store has worked towards providing a warm and inviting atmosphere for guests to relax and enjoy great seafood, as they would if they were by the beach. This has led to the successful growth of the restaurant chain over the years.

The store provides quality food at reasonable prices. Great lengths are taken to ensure that the freshest ingredients are used in preparing meals for customers. This includes everything from the food to the vegetables. Food is hand-battered and hand-breaded and the side dishes are prepared fresh each and every day. The restaurant has perfected its menu over the years. The establishment also prides itself in its hospitality. According to the Chief Executive Officer, everything the restaurant does is centered on its commitment to its guests.  The establishment strives to ensure that guests feel at home while having an excellent and memorable dining experience.

History

Captain D’s Seafood Restaurant was established on August 15, 1969, originally as Mr. D’s Seafood and Hamburgers. The first store was opened in Donelson, Tennessee. Mr. “D” stood for the last name of co-founder Ray Danner.  Ray Danner established the company Danner Foods, which owned and operated the establishment. Mr. D’s Seafood and Hamburgers was very popular and by 1973, it had 15 locations opened throughout the United States. In 1974, the establishment changed its name to Captain D’s Seafood to focus exclusively on the seafood portion of its menu, such as fish and chips, shrimp, and sides. The restaurant continued to grow rapidly throughout the 1970s.

Danner Foods merged with Shoney’s, Inc. in 1974, which was the same year that the company changed its name to Captain D’s. Lone Star Funds purchased the restaurant from Danner Foods and Shoney’s, Inc. in 2003. Sagittarius Brands, Inc. bought the restaurant from Lone Star Funds in 2004. In 2010, Sun Capital Partners, Inc. purchased the restaurant from Sagittarius Brands, Inc.  The chain experienced substantial growth during this time. In 2013, Centre Partners acquired the restaurant from Sun Capital Partners, Inc. The restaurant is currently owned by Centre Partners and continues to expand even further.

The company’s building and logo changed to a more updated look during the 1980s and 1990s. The store won the 2007 Nation’s Restaurant News “MenuMasters Award” in the category of “Best Menu Revamp”. The restaurant presented an entirely new “21^st century” image in 2012 to increase the overall experience for its customers. This new and improved image includes a welcoming “coastal” atmosphere to make guests feel as if they are at the beach. These upgrades are said to have contributed to the restaurant’s boost in sales, particularly its significant same-store sales increase. Prior to 2010, the store had suffered a decline in same-store sales so this turn-around was a significant achievement.

There are over 500 Captain D’s locations throughout the United States and overseas. Store locations can be found in the following states: Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Colorado, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, and California. Examples of international locations include Germany, South Korea, and Japan. The chain’s headquarters is currently in Nashville, Tennessee.

Review

Captain D’s serves seafood, consisting primarily of fish and shrimp. The menu’s seafood section includes a Deluxe Seafood Platter, which consists of fish fillets, breaded shrimp, butterfly shrimp, seafood stuffed crab shells, hush puppies, and the customer’s choice of two regular sides. This section also includes the two piece batter-dipped fish and six piece butterfly shrimp; the white fish, four piece shrimp and crab, and the fifteen piece butterfly shrimp. The seafood section is priced between $5 and $8. Side dishes include coleslaw, French fries, side salad, green beans, okra, broccoli, baked potato, corn, mac and cheese, and the loaded baked potato.  Sides are priced between $1 and $3.

There is also a separate fish section that offers two to four piece batter dipped fish, two to four piece country-styled fish, the catfish feast, and the fish and fries. The fish section is priced between $5 and $8. The menu also offers items “From the Grill”. This section consists of Shrimp Skewers, Blackened Tilapia, Wild Alaskan Salmon, Surf and Turf, Grilled White Fish and Shrimp Skewer, and the Lemon Pepper White Fish. Family meals and kid meals are also offered. The kid meals are priced between $3 and $4 and consists of fish tenders, chicken tenders, and popcorn shrimp.

The family meals include a ten piece fish value pack, a fourteen piece chicken value pack, and a seafood feast. The fish value pack is priced between $19 and $20 and consists of batter dipped fish fillets and hush puppies, and two regular family styled sides. The chicken value pack is priced between $19 and $20 and consists of fourteen breaded chicken tenders, hush puppies, and two regular family styled sides.  The seafood feast is priced between $25 and $26. The seafood feast consists of batter dipped fish, butterfly shrimp, stuffed crab, hush puppies, and two regular family styled sides. There is also a desert menu.

The establishment’s hours of operation vary according to location but are generally from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The prices also vary according to location but are generally reasonable. The restaurants are clean for the most part and the food and service are decent, although the service is slow. The store’s menu has an entirely separate section called “Other Favorites”, which includes Battered Dipped Fish and Chicken, Wild Alaskan Salmon Salad, Salad with Shrimp Skewer, Crispy Chicken Salad, the Captain Sandwich, Grilled Chicken Salad, Mozzarella Sticks, and  Jalapeno Poppers. The shrimp is a definite favorite. Overall, the establishment is quite a popular, family friendly and affordable seafood spot.