tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption

CHAIN -- Captain D's Seafood
Owner -- Privately held
Primary Operating Region -- 23 states, mostly in the southeast
Number of Locations -- 595 (April, 2005)

Captain D's started out life as "Mr D's" in Donelson, Tennessee, in 1969.  The name change came in 1974.  They were somehow tied in with Shoney's for awhile, and were the healthier end of the relationship.  A couple of buyout groups later, the Nashville-based chain appears to be charting calm waters.  The same group also owns Del Taco now.

The dining room decor is typical fast food seafood faux-nautical.  Pilot lamps for sconces.  Fake port holes.  Whites and blues.  The first location I visited was a bit dated and had its problems.  One booth had a full-size garbage can sitting on a bench catching water dripping from the climate control duct.  There were two trash bin/tray returns.  One was overflowing with garbage, the other was blocked off.  The one blocked off was so because the trash pail that WAS in there was the one catching water.

The food is typical fast food fish fare, which means battered fried fish, shrimp, clam strips, french fries, cole slaw, and chicken.  Why chicken has to go hand in hand with fast food fish is beyond me, but it almost always does.

If you line up and compare Long John Silver's menu to Captain D's, it simply comes down to this...Long John Silver's has better chicken, and Captain D's has better almost everything else. But your mileage may vary.

At our first visit, Captain D's fried fish had a thin coat batter surrounding a thick white tender piece of fish that could be served in any full-service seafood restaurant. It was simply fabulous. Other fried stuff (like shrimp and fries) were also better, albeit less significantly so. Wife #1 claimed Captain D's cole slaw also reigned supreme. But Captain D's chicken was about as boring as watching paint dry. It's also supposedly on the way out. I doubt anybody will miss it.

The second visit, at another location in a different region, the shrimp and fries still held up, but the fish didn't. It was EXACTLY Long John Silver's fish, but seemingly warmed over. As if somebody had run to a nearby Long John Silver's, bought a bunch of fish, brought it to Captain D's, and reheated it for sale throughout the day. It was THAT BAD.

The menu otherwise is about what you'd expect. There's some broiled fish for those watching their cholesterol. Sides include corn, green beans, hush puppies, and what not. Captain D's has a few unique items. The seafood-stuffed crab shells are quite tasty. I assumed they'd be deviled crab on the first try, but they're more like a warm seafood salad mix. I've seen a seafood gumbo on the menu occasionally, but I'm having none of that crap. Captain D's features some menu items regionally, so if you find oysters at one location, you might not find them a state or two over. 

Tragically, I've never seen clam chowder.

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