Which celebrities of old endorsed Arthur Treacher's? And have you ever paired hot
dogs with fried seafood? Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips isn't around much anymore,
but it's got quite the backstory. Keep watching for the details.
Quick service fried fish wasn't exactly a thing in America before Arthur Treacher arrived on
the scene. Only a handful of restaurants offered it, with McDonald's Filet-O-Fish dominating the
early 1960s. If people wanted authentic fish and chips back then, they either had to visit
the United Kingdom, or call upon their British friends to make some for them. The first Arthur
Treacher's location opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1969, and soon afterwards, more began to
spread across the state, as the chain rapidly became a staple in the Ohio fast food industry.
And if you're wondering about that name, it comes from real-life actor Arthur Treacher,
who was best known for his work opposite Shirley Temple in films like 1937's Heidi,
and as Jeeves the butler in 1936's Thank You, Jeeves. Treacher was
very much involved in the development and advertisement of his namesake restaurant.
Not only was his name licensed for the franchise, he was also a spokesman, which lent credibility
and boosted the restaurant's popularity. He also even reportedly sometimes said that the recipe
for the fast food joint's beer-battered cod fillets was based on his own recipe.
In May 1940, TV personality Ed Sullivan brought a compelling group of actors to Middle America:
Akron, Ohio, to be precise. The United States was slowly recovering from the Great Depression,
and World War II had just begun overseas. Sullivan's Stardust Cavalcade revue was a
welcome break from all that. Arthur Treacher was one of the performers, as he delighted audiences
with his stand-up routine. It was his first introduction to Ohio, a place he'd later return
to over and over again during his involvement in the Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips empire.
But it was legendary comedian Bob Hope who really pushed the real-life Arthur Treacher
into the forefront of the fast food industry. Hope grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and he was no stranger
to the state's restaurant scene. According to a 2019 Cleveland.com article, it was Hope's
idea that the Arthur Treacher's restaurant should work with Arthur Treacher the actor.
With a team of celebrities touting their fried seafood, Arthur Treacher's rapidly introduced
fish and chips to a large population of American diners. The big key to their success was frying
up fillets of cod, just like the kind you'd find in a traditional English fish and chips
shop. It was so beloved that in just a few short years, Arthur Treacher's became nearly as popular
as McDonald's, with at least 800 stores throughout the United States at its peak.
Alas, Arthur Treacher's rapid growth came to a screeching halt when a literal Cold
War over cod fishing was fought between several European nations. Long story short,
this conflict began with a battle of fishing between Iceland and the United Kingdom. Three
separate Cod Wars were fought, with the final one in 1976 resulting in Icelandic grounds being
closed. This effectively put a stop to British long-distance fishing. These conflicts caused
issues in the United States as well, as the price of cod became almost too expensive to import.
With cod's price shooting up, business for Arthur Treacher's began to crash. Franchises everywhere
were hurting, and in a last-ditch effort to save the brand, the company was sold to Mrs.
Paul's in 1979. The hope was that the frozen fish manufacturer would be able to supply restaurants
with frozen fish products that would help recoup the losses. Instead, though, things got fishy.
"What's the problem?"
"It smells like fish in here."
The most controversial thing that Mrs. Paul's did was meddling with the recipe that customers had
grown to adore, as the meaty cod fillets were replaced with pollack. This fish was cheaper,
but customers saw right through the bait and switch. Pollack's consistency is oilier,
and more prone to flaking apart than cod, causing it to crumble within
its fried pocket and thereby reducing the quality of the fish and chips experience.
The Arthur Treacher's name was bought and sold several times during the 80s and 90s,
with many of its parent companies declaring bankruptcy soon after the sales. Its popularity
rose and fell while the brand desperately tried to expand across the United States.
During this time, the iconic fish and chips shops closed across the nation,
leaving an uncertain future for quick-service fried fish.
Just when things started to look bleak, though, an unlikely hero emerged. While
stand-alone Arthur Treacher's shops are hard to come by nowadays, it's not too difficult to
find one that also sells Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs. That's because the company was acquired
by the Nathan's Famous parent brand in 2002, and it eventually fell under the TRUFOODS, LLC
co-franchisor label in 2007. It's been synonymous with the Nathan's brand ever since. Thus,
we have Nathan's to thank for making hot dogs and fried fish an unlikely but delicious combo.
Arthur Treacher's may have had 826 locations in its heyday, but after a few tumultuous decades,
hardcore fans can only experience the fresh catch-style taste at the
one and only Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips restaurant still in existence.
That final Arthur Treacher's location is found in Akron, Ohio, the state where it all began.
And after all these years, former customers are happy to reminisce about their favorite
fast food fish and chips experiences. As Ted Berg wrote in a 2017 For the Win article,
"One of my uncles used to work at Arthur Treacher's, so we had a plastic Arthur Treacher's
tray in my house growing up long before I ever sampled the chain's signature fish and chips."
Many community members got their first job at Arthur Treacher's,
or went on to be in charge of restaurants of their own. Despite the chain's demise,
it's nice to learn about the positive impact that Arthur Treacher's has had on so many people.
"Good service. Good- good fish. It's worth the trip here."
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