THE YEAR OF THE OYSTER

2020 is The Year of the Oyster! Why, because of all the kinds of food out there the oyster maintains a singular place in the culinary zeitgeist and the history of food. Consumers want premium oysters of many varieties more than ever, but with restaurant seating limited, consumer concerns over eating out and the fact that oysters are not a great to-go item, the opportunity to differentiate with an elite oyster service (on site and with catering) is enormous.

RESTAURANT OPERATORS & CATERERS, WE CAN DEFINITELY HELP YOU

Operations and profitability is challenging for restaurants in the age of COVID. So, we have some out of the box thinking that may be helpful. To that end, lets talk about how oysters & oyster service can be a great boost to your business. As oysters once saved humanity about 200,000 years ago, perhaps they can help you today.

WE WIL GUARANTEE REVENUES, PRESS, SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ & MORE

We propose that offering premium oysters and oyster service is a terrific way to get through 2020. If your restaurant can be the go to spot for premium oysters and outstanding oyster service in this moment there is a real revenue stream and a ton of advocacy in it for you.

THIS IS A GOLDEN MOMENT FOR OYSTERS!

Why? Because while there are thousands of “food options” to choose from in this moment, there are NO oyster options other than the same old table service / cocktail sauce experience. There is not much about that which is interesting to oyster aficionados or the bi-valve curious anymore. The raw bar has been raised. Consumers simply expect more now. High quality consumers who value great food & service (and talk about it) LOVE premium quality oysters, shucked well and served raw, & cold, on the half shell. They love diversity in product, discovery in the experience and the ritual of it all. But where can they get that now? Oysters do not travel well. This is not a "to go" item. Putting shucked oysters on ice for take away or delivery just does not really work at all. But consumers still want the experience and the product. MORE THAN EVER! Enjoying oysters is a social ritual best experienced moments after they were shucked. Demand is high. Supply is nearly ZERO. Delivering an outstanding oyster service CAN BE DONE NOW and this creates an opportunity to stand out in a very crowded marketplace.

THE MODEL

Add an elite oyster service to your existing food & bev offering if you have ample outdoor space

1. Allocate a 15 x 15' area to a "pop up" raw bar

2. Empire Oyster brings what we need to operate at no cost and with no permanent structure to be built.

3. Offer our signature”Omakase Style Oyster Service”. Get a sense for that HERE on our films page. Watch“Kevin Dreams of Oysters”

4. Offer this raw bar product, service & experience, by reservation only, for groups of 4-8 that come and go together

5. Deliver an elite oyster/ raw bar service to each group for 45 minutes with a 15 minute window to reset and sanitize for the next group

6. Offer 10 hours (12pm- 10pm) of service per day. 

7. Offer oysters, clams, ceviche, crudo and other "Marine Cuisine" items

8. Beer, wine & spirits pairings

9. Price it at $85 per person 

THE SIMPLE NUMBERS

Maximum capacity would be 8 guests every hour for 10 hours. That is 80 covers in a day. 80 covers x $85 per cover comes to $6,800 per day. Cut that in half for an average daily ring of $3,400. Consider ancillary sales associated with that for to-go items. This could put the average per cover up to $100 - $125 per guest if you market the raw bar service as something for guests to enjoy while they wait for their cooked items "to go". There is little or no cost to you. We have everything we need to operate this.

OTHER VALUE

Stand Out - Being the only / premier oyster service in your area would attract, engage and enchant premium consumers. As you can see from our press page, it will also garner some press. Actually, we will guarantee some of that. But most importantly it will make your guests very happy such that they will advocate via their social media and word of mouth. This will drive additional business. 

Create A Unique Catering Option - our skills, experience, assets, knowledge and intellectual property

WHAT WE DO NEED IN A RESTAURANT PARTNER

1. Receive product

2. Prep space

3. Storage space

4. Liquor license

5. Service area

HOW TO ENGAGE

There are many ways we can organize and operate. We can have an expense / revenue split or Empire Oyster can work as a consultant for a fee. We offer the following suite of services:

• DESIGN & BUILD

• HIRE & TRAIN

• MANAGE & OPERATE

• MARKET & PROMOTE

Finally, below you can peruse our current catering pitch. It illustrates much of our offering, assets and style. You can find or share the content HERE

Thank You for your time and consideration!

Kevin Joseph, Founder, Empire Oyster

THE SHUCK TRUCK

While Empire Oyster is NOT a traditional caterer and our SHUCK TRUCK is NOT a traditional food truck, both deliver oysters, beer and joy to consumers wherever we go. In this moment, we are looking at new ways to do this which are fun, safe and helpful.

Our lovingly restored 1967 Chevy Sports Mobile 108 Deluxe is ready to roll. She goes 100mph, holds 8 with seat belts and serves cold beer from two taps (just not all at the same time). While she is not a food truck (we don’t serve "FROM" her) we do set up raw bars in front of her, next to her taps. So, we can serve food and pour beers at the same time. For the time being, obviously, we can only do this for small groups of people.  MORE INFO & SPECIFICATIONS HERE

WHY WE NEED OYSTERS?

OYSTERS ARE A MIRACLE FOOD & CONSUMERS MISS OYSTER SERVICE. We need them now, more than ever! Oysters are loaded with nutrition and immunity boosting vitamins and minerals like zinc, iodine, highly soluble amino acids. They are protein filled and have very low levels of fat, cholesterol and sodium. They are also loaded with omegas. This is all so well known, in fact, that there has recently been a host of articles on the subject of the benefits of consuming oysters on overall health as well as mood and mental health. They are even being prescribed as medicine for depression by Doctors, Psychologists and Psychiatrists. Learn more about that HERE

OYSTER SERVICE + MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS

In this Private Club / A la carte model, 1-4 varieties will be on offer. Likely we will offer one LOCAL oyster from VA or MD and one RARE & EXOTIC oyster which would probably be a Taylor Kumamoto from WA.

For private groups we can create a bespoke oyster & raw bar offering based on your budget. Consider premium caviar, ceviche, crudo, uni, smoked fish and much more. Check our our MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS here.

ACCOUTREMENT PREMIER

Our oyster toppings and treatments are off the charts. We call this collection of toppings and dressings Accoutrement Premier. Learn more here: www.empireoyster.com/accoutrement-premier

BEER & WINE PAIRINGS

Our Shuck Truck has two taps and a jockey box system. This allows us to serve two kinds of beer on tap, ice cold. We could certainly add wine to the mix if that is of interest. We’d keep it simple for the clubs. For private family gatherings, budget will dictate the offering or our clients can manage this part of the offering themselves.

THE EXPERIENCE BEYOND THE FOOD & BEV

Empire Oyster is led by Kevin Joseph, Master Mermmelier. A Mermmelier is to oysters what a Sommelier is to Wine or a Cicerone is to Beer. Our service, therefore, delivers a bona-fide oyster expert to engage & edu-tain your members as they sip and slurp.  As per their interest, guests will gain a better understanding of oysters as both part of the ecosystem and as food. They can get a crash course in aquaculture including the history, culture, cuisine, economy & ecology of oysters. Additionally, they can experiment with various accoutrement (toppings and dressings for oysters) and learn how to source the best product directly from those that produce it. They may discover new oyster preferences and favorite oyster pairings. Finally, those who are interested in doing so, can enjoy an oyster shucking lesson as well. Many can learn quickly which will allow them to enjoy oysters they order direct to their home. 

ABOUT KEVIN JOSEPH, MASTER MERMMELIER & CHEF

Kevin Joseph is the creator of New York Oyster Week, The OysterHood, Empire Oyster & Oysters Unlimited. His creativity with, knowledge of and experience with oysters, seafood and hospitality is singular. Kevin coined the phrase Mermmelier  because there was no term which describes his experience, knowledge and experience with oysters, seafood and hospitality. So, in fact, he had to coin a term that described what he is and what he does. Learn more here: www.EmpireOyster.com/press