We know what you’re thinking. With our proximity to miles of shoreline and plenty of accessible fresh seafood, why would anyone in New England ever consider eating lobster from a fast-food restaurant?
It’s a question many have asked since late June, when McDonald’s announced it would bring back its lobster roll for the 2015 summer season. For the first time in about a decade, the lobster sandwich will rejoin the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder and Filet-O-Fish in what some would consider an incongruous lineup.
The McDonald’s lobster roll debuted as a regional, seasonal special in the early 1990s, said Scott Taylor, president of the chain’s Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Owner/Operator Association, and returned periodically until the turn of the century. “We haven’t had it [in Connecticut] at least 10 years.”
Taylor said the lobster comes from suppliers who catch and steam the crustaceans (which come from North Atlantic waters between Canada and Maine,) then place the meat in Cryovac packages and flash-freeze it while it’s still fresh. In the stores, employees mix the meat with mayonnaise dressing and add salt and pepper.
While many Connecticut lobster eaters prefer their rolls served hot with butter, Taylor said that option wasn’t considered. “The favorite throughout New England, from what the research told us, was a mayonnaise-based [roll], and since we’re doing it on a larger scale than we’ve done for the first time in [several] years, we wanted to see how it would go.”
The $7.99 price tag ($10.99 for a value meal with fries and drink) was important, Taylor said. “We had to make it in the realm of what our sandwiches would really sell for. McDonald’s and $16 sandwiches still probably don’t go together.”
Although a rough winter rendered lobster pricing more expensive than the original estimated costs, he said it’s still a “pretty aggressive price point,” aided by bulk purchasing for the nearly 500 units serving the lobster roll in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the majority of Connecticut. “One of our advantages that we always have is our size and our scale.”
Taylor said some local stores have been offering lobster-roll samplings to capture guests who may be skeptical or nervous about the fast-food shellfish. “When we have things that are not really thought of as our core competencies, we’ll use that very successfully to sort of gain credibility in that landscape. I think tasting is believing.”
The product has been selling well in Taylor’s five stores in Glastonbury, Manchester, Rocky Hill, Torrington and Winsted, he said. He expected the sandwich to be a hit in more affluent towns, but said it’s done unexpectedly well in the smaller cities.
The fact sheet: McDonald’s lists the lobster roll as a 290-calorie item, with about 4 ounces of lobster meat tossed in mayonnaise dressing and placed on a “home-style” toasted roll with both leaf lettuce and shredded lettuce. It’s available at participating Connecticut and western Massachusetts restaurants, excluding Fairfield County, until mid-August.
Tasting notes: Lobster meat comes in decently sized chunks with an intact claw on top — points for presentation. The roll is toasted, providing a welcome hot-cold contrast, but it’s a little dense. The dual lettuce (leaf and shredded) is excessive. But for $8, it’s a fine, quick summer treat if you can’t get to the shore.
For comparison purposes, we also tried two other quick-service lobster rolls at regional and national chains, also available for a limited summer engagement. These, too, are cold lobster salad sandwiches, which may anger Connecticut purists who love hot buttered versions, but good if you’re preparation-agnostic.
D’Angelo’s
Details: D’Angelo’s offers lobster rolls with 4 ounces of lobster meat for $10.99 (twin rolls for $19.99) and small, medium and large lobster sandwiches on grinder rolls for $10.99 to $20.99.
D’Angelo’s quality lobster meat is also served in considerable chunks, with a heavier touch on the mayonnaise and no shortage of shredded lettuce on its sandwiches. Its actual lobster roll fares better, with four ounces of meat on a grilled split-top hot dog roll. The meat gets a bit lost when piled onto D’Angelo’s thicker grinder rolls, as the bread and lettuce tend to dominate.
Lobster is also available to top a green salad with cucumbers, green peppers, red onions and grape tomatoes, with choice of dressing. Make it a lobster BLT, adding bacon for an extra $1. Locations: dangelos.com.
Panera
Details: $16.99 for 6 ounces of lobster meat on a “New England soft roll” with leaf lettuce and lemon tarragon mayonnaise. Available through Sept. 7.
Panera’s seasonal lobster roll is the most gourmet of the quick-service options, but it comes at a price — you’re in for over $20 with tax and a drink. But that gets you a rather sizable sandwich, loaded with six ounces of sweet meat dressed lightly in a pleasant lemon-tarragon mayonnaise. The “New England soft roll” is thick and substantial enough to house the lobster, but the sandwich is nearly dwarfed by the gigantic lettuce leaf nestled inside the bun. (But hey, bonus salad.) Locations: panera.com.
