That “Catch of the Day” Has Been Swimming in the Freezer
The next time your server proudly announces the “fresh catch of the day,” you might want to take that claim with a grain of sea salt. Fresh crab prices dropped 8.2 percent, fresh salmon prices declined 3 percent, frozen shrimp prices decreased 6.6 percent, and frozen salmon prices dropped 6.9 percent in March 2024. What’s interesting is that many restaurants use the word “fresh” to describe fish that’s been frozen for months at sea. The industry standard allows restaurants to call seafood “fresh” as long as it wasn’t frozen after being processed at their facility, even if it spent weeks in a ship’s freezer. Flash freezing is one of the best and most efficient ways to maximize the quality and longevity of wild-caught seafood, and we are thrilled to carry a wide range of options in this format. Most often frozen directly on the boat and at the precise moment when the catch represents its peak potential, our flash frozen collection makes some truly exceptional seafood approachable. While this isn’t necessarily bad for quality, restaurants often charge premium prices as if they just pulled the fish from the ocean that morning. The markup can be substantial – sometimes double what you’d pay for the same frozen fish at a grocery store.
Those “Hand-Cut” French Fries Started Life in a Factory
Walk into almost any restaurant and you’ll see “hand-cut fries” prominently displayed on the menu, usually with a premium price tag attached. The reality is far less romantic than the marketing suggests. Most restaurants receive their “hand-cut” fries pre-cut and frozen from industrial suppliers, sometimes stored for months before they ever see a fryer. The issue with frozen meals is that the value is not the same as it used to be, according to Galbo, who noted that the packaged food industry has raised prices by about 25% to 30% between 2021 and 2024. The pre-cutting happens at massive facilities where potatoes are processed, shaped, and flash-frozen before being shipped to restaurants nationwide. Some establishments even receive fries that have been pre-seasoned and partially cooked, requiring only a final frying to achieve that “fresh” taste. The cost difference between buying whole potatoes and cutting them yourself versus purchasing pre-cut frozen fries is significant, yet customers rarely see this savings reflected in menu prices. Many diners would be shocked to learn their $8 “artisanal” fries cost the restaurant less than 50 cents to prepare.
Premium Pasta Sauces Come From Industrial-Sized Containers
That rich, creamy Alfredo sauce the waiter describes as “made fresh daily” might have actually been sitting in a freezer for months. Many restaurants, including some upscale establishments, purchase their signature sauces in bulk from commercial food suppliers and store them frozen until needed. The sauce is then thawed, sometimes enhanced with fresh herbs or additional seasonings, and presented as house-made. Frozen foods have become a significant market ($91.3 billion) as consumers seek convenient and versatile offerings for all day parts, with a 54% increase on frozen food spending in the 52-week period ended Nov. 3, 2024. Ice cream and frozen novelty products are the most frequently purchased, and air fryer-friendly frozen foods have become a fast-growing segment, reaching $6.1 billion in 2024. Even high-end Italian restaurants sometimes rely on frozen sauce bases, particularly during busy periods when kitchen staff can’t keep up with from-scratch preparation. The profit margins on these sauces can be enormous – a sauce that costs $2 per serving to the restaurant might appear on your bill as part of a $24 pasta dish. Some chain restaurants have become so dependent on frozen sauces that their kitchens don’t even have the equipment necessary to make traditional reductions and emulsions from scratch.
Gourmet Bread Rolls Were Baked Months Ago and Frozen
Those warm, fluffy dinner rolls that arrive at your table with a theatrical flourish of steam rarely saw an oven that day, or even that week. Most restaurants purchase their bread products frozen from commercial bakeries and simply reheat them in warming ovens or steam them to create the illusion of fresh-baked goodness. The bread industry has perfected the art of freeze-and-bake technology, allowing rolls to maintain their texture and flavor for months in frozen storage. Stock your freezers with Cappello’s frozen buttermilk biscuits, the very best of the over two dozen frozen sides and snacks our food experts tasted. Cappello’s biscuits are made with almond flour and real butter (that you can taste!) and they bake up with a crispy crust and tender insides. Restaurant chains often receive deliveries of frozen bread products that can sit in storage for 3-6 months before being used. The markup on bread is particularly steep – rolls that cost restaurants 15-25 cents each might be factored into meal prices at $2-3 per person. Some establishments even go so far as to brush frozen rolls with butter and herbs before reheating to enhance the “fresh-baked” aroma that draws customers in.
Artisanal Soups Have Been Frozen Since Last Season
The “soup of the day” special that your server enthusiastically describes as being made with seasonal ingredients might actually be a frozen creation from months past. Many restaurants prepare large batches of soup when ingredients are at their cheapest and most abundant, then freeze portions for use throughout the year. This practice is particularly common with seasonal soups like butternut squash in winter or tomato basil in summer. The soup is packaged in industrial-sized containers and can remain frozen for 6-12 months while maintaining acceptable quality. Foremost among these is the convenience offered by frozen meals, with 14% of respondents ranking it as their primary motive. This convenience encompasses ease of preparation (13%) and the ability to provide a quick total meal solution (14%), aligning closely with the modern lifestyle’s demand for efficiency and time-saving measures. Following closely behind, the aspect of time savings (9%) underscores the appeal of frozen foods in streamlining meal preparation processes. Restaurants often charge premium prices for these “artisanal” soups, sometimes $8-12 per bowl for something that costs them less than a dollar to prepare. The irony is that the freezing process sometimes actually improves the flavor of certain soups, as the ingredients have more time to meld together, but customers are paying fresh prices for frozen convenience.
Specialty Appetizers Arrive Pre-Made and Flash-Frozen
Those Instagram-worthy appetizers that seem too perfectly shaped and consistent to be handmade usually aren’t. Items like stuffed mushrooms, bacon-wrapped scallops, and artisanal spring rolls often arrive at restaurants pre-assembled and frozen from specialty food manufacturers. Sales of seafood appetizers, for example, surged nearly 210% in November, according to Circana. Sales of most other prepared seafood items sold via delis dropped in November, but analysts expect strong growth in the near future. These appetizers can remain frozen for months while maintaining their appearance and structural integrity, making them ideal for restaurants that want consistent presentation without the labor costs of hand-assembly. The manufacturing process allows for perfect portion control and uniform appearance that would be nearly impossible to achieve in a busy restaurant kitchen. Many of these frozen appetizers cost restaurants $1-3 each but appear on menus priced at $12-18 per plate. Some high-end establishments even purchase gourmet frozen appetizers that are then garnished with fresh herbs or drizzled with house-made sauces to justify the premium pricing and maintain the illusion of in-house preparation.
Dessert “Made in House” Comes From the Freezer Section
That decadent chocolate lava cake or tiramisu that the server claims is “made fresh in our kitchen” probably started its journey in a commercial freezer months ago. The dessert industry has embraced frozen technology more than perhaps any other food category, with some frozen desserts actually tasting better than fresh-made versions due to improved texture and flavor development during storage. Ice cream and frozen novelty products are the most frequently purchased, and air fryer-friendly frozen foods have become a fast-growing segment, reaching $6.1 billion in 2024. Restaurants can purchase restaurant-quality desserts that have been individually portioned and packaged, requiring only thawing or brief heating before service. The consistency and presentation of these frozen desserts often surpasses what busy restaurant kitchens could produce during service hours. Premium frozen desserts can cost restaurants $2-4 per serving but often appear on menus priced at $8-14. Many customers would be surprised to learn that the same dessert they’re paying premium prices for in a restaurant can often be purchased from the same supplier and found in the frozen food aisle of upscale grocery stores.
High-End Meat Cuts Have Been Aged in Sub-Zero Storage
When restaurants boast about their aged steaks and premium cuts, they’re often referring to meat that has spent months in frozen storage rather than the traditional aging process customers might imagine. Prices for beef and veal were 8.5 percent higher in April 2025 than in April 2024. Beef and veal prices are predicted to increase in 2025 due to tight supplies and continued consumer demand. Beef and veal prices are predicted to increase 6.6 percent in 2025, with a prediction interval of 1.5 to 12.1 percent. Modern vacuum-sealing and freezing technology allows meat to maintain quality for extended periods, but the “aging” that occurs is quite different from traditional dry-aging processes. Many restaurants receive their steaks pre-cut and frozen from meat processing facilities, where they may have been stored for 3-6 months before shipment. The meat is then thawed and prepared as if it were fresh, often with significant markups that don’t reflect the frozen reality. Everything they serve is frozen .. From the fish to the shrimp to the High $$$$$ Lobster Tails. Some establishments even purchase frozen meat that has been pre-seasoned or marinated, eliminating much of the kitchen preparation work while maintaining premium pricing. The cost savings from buying frozen meat in bulk rarely translate to lower menu prices, with restaurants often charging the same rates they would for genuinely fresh, never-frozen cuts.
What would you have guessed about that “fresh catch of the day” now?
