Charlottetown restaurant takes home the title
After all the votes were tallied for this year's PEI Lobster Love campaign, a classic version of the lobster roll received the most love from lobster fans.
From July 5th to 31st, participating restaurants across the Island were vying for the title of 'Most Loved Lobster Roll'. While many chefs put a unique spin on what most would consider the traditional lobster roll, the winner of the title was the perfect example of that famous down-home PEI lobster dish.
'Lobster In The Buff' from Water Prince Corner Shop in Charlottetown walked away with this year’s title and all of the love. The winning entry featured 3.5 ounces of fresh PEI lobster cooked in-house, with lettuce and house mayo on an ADL buttered grilled bun from MacAulay’s Bakery.
"Any opportunity to promote the Island's great seafood industry is important, and for us to come out with this award as well is humbling," said Coady Campbell, Manager of the Water Prince Corner Shop. "We want our customers to experience what we as Maritimers experience in our own homes; just plain good food."
PEI Lobster Love, created and managed by Fresh Media, was presented in partnership between Lobster PEI and the PEI Department of Fisheries and Communities.
"PEI Lobster Love has encouraged a lot of Islanders and visitors to visit restaurants across our province in search of PEI’s best lobster roll. I want to congratulate Water Prince Corner Shop for being chosen as the fan favourite for 2021; in fact, I’d be happy to recommend any of this year’s participants as great places to enjoy some great Prince Edward Island lobster."
- Fisheries and Communities Minister Jamie Fox.
The winning lobster roll was determined based on online voting through the campaign website. While not all restaurants have reported their sales numbers as of the announcement of the Most Loved Lobster Roll, organizers are pleased with the feedback from those that went out and supported the industry during the promotion.
"Compared to last year, our votes and web traffic saw a 30 percent increase from off-Island lobster fans," said Melody Dover, President of Fresh Media. "We certainly saw this traffic increase once the restrictions to our province lessened mid-July. Without a doubt, tourists were loving the lobster rolls options!"
Additionally, all of the lobster rolls served up from participants during the campaign had glowing reviews from the public through the voting comment section, with the lobster rolls ranking a minimum 8.6 out of 10. This made for a very close final count with the winning roll edging out the other contenders by only the slightest of overall rating.
"PEI Lobster Love celebrates our industry and puts a spotlight on PEI’s premium lobster," added Charlie McGeoghegan, Board Chair, Lobster Fishers of PEI Marketing Board. "Our Island fishers are proud to bring ashore the best quality lobster in the world, and we would like to thank the participating restaurants, Islanders, and visitors alike who went out to enjoy the many lobster roll creations across the Island."
For those who didn't get a chance to try the winning lobster roll, it will remain on Water Prince Corner Shop's menu.
Contact:
Ron Ryder
Senior Communications Officer
rrryder@gov.pe.ca (link sends e-mail)
902-314-6367