Bedford, N.S., restaurant bumps up prices amid rise in haddock costs

Fish and chips are a popular summer staple in the Maritimes, but they could cost you more this season.

Business is bustling at Rudy & Olive’s Fish and Chips in Bedford, N.S., with customers seemingly unfazed by new prices.

“I think it’s reasonable and fair. I’ve heard that there is a shortage of haddock, so it only makes sense that because it’s more expensive, they’re going to have to pass their costs on in order to stay in business,” says customer Pat Beck.

$2 price increase

Owner Jeff Supple says they’ve had to put a $2 increase on one-, two- and three-piece meals.

“We had to increase our menu items, especially our haddock. Haddock has taken a big jump over the last week or so,” says Supple.

“It’s very hard because I know everyone’s struggling these days… It’s hard to make those decisions. But if people want the fish and they want us to continue serving our product, we need to do that. We need to stay in business. So that’s a very important thing.”

Supple says their seafood supplier, Fishermen’s Market, has raised the cost of haddock by 41 per cent, jumping from $10.95 to $15.45 per pound.

Kris Vascotto, the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance’s executive director, says it’s no surprise businesses are handing some of that cost down to customers.

“This is one of those simple realities when you’re working with a natural product that is governed by quotas, there’s that one side which is just simply supply and demand,” he says.

‘I’m not surprised’

Vascotto adds the industry is also battling the cost of fuel.

“It takes fuel to go and catch these fish. It takes fuel to get the bait to catch these fish, and all these costs just begin to compound,” he says.

“So, I’m not surprised to see that we’re beginning to see that manifest itself. You can see it in the grocery store. You can see it in your local fishmonger, and eventually there is going to have to be a response by the consumer at the end of the day.”

With no end date on that issue, he says Maritimers should consider other seafood options.

“When we’re talking about alternatives to something like haddock, there is flounder, which is a wonderful product that you can find in Cape Breton and down in the southwest Nova Scotia as well,” Vascotto adds.

“There’s redfish, which is another wild caught brown fish that comes out of the Gulf and on the edge of the scorpion shell, which tends to come in at a better price point.”

But quality is not something Supple is willingly to give up.

“We’ve been doing this for over five and a half years, and people come to us for our quality. There were options out there to cut the quality, but I couldn’t do that,” he says. “So unfortunately, I had to pass along to our customers, and they seem to be okay with it and understand.”

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