Return Of The Fish Fry: Minnesota Restaurants Prepare For Big Friday Crowds

TOWN OF COATES, Minn. (WCCO) -- As the Lenten season begins, restaurants throughout the Twin Cities are preparing for an influx of customers looking for Friday night fish dinners.

At House of Coates, in the Town of Coates, owner Riley Tarrant says he's purchased close to 200 pounds of Atlantic Cod in anticipation of hungry crowds Friday.

"It's kind of like all hands on deck," Tarrant said. "It is all fish from 11 o'clock when we open to 10 o'clock when we're done."

Since 1962, Tarrant's family has prioritized fish on Fridays.

"We're known for burgers, we've always been known for burgers," he said. "We might cook 150 burgers on a Friday night not during Lent. And during Lent, I might cook 10."

For $12.25, customers take home a generous helping of fish, potatoes and homemade tartar sauce.

"It's big, and we take a lot of pride in our fish," Tarrant said.

For churches in the metro, Fish Fry Fridays also represent a chance to fundraise for the upcoming calendar year. At Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, volunteers anticipate serving 2,500 fish dinners during their annual fish fry event April 8.

"Catholics love a good party," said Father Kevin Finnegan. "They love community life, they love being together. And so the fish is just accidental."

Father Kevin says the spirit of Lent means preparing for the Easter season.

"It's a little bit like when a bride and groom are engaged, they tend to lose a few pounds so they can look good for the wedding," he said. "It's not that we want to look good for Easter, but we want our souls to be ever more ready. We take a few weeks to prepare for that through prayer, fasting and almsgiving."

While the fish dinner crowd will certainly bring with it long working hours, Tarrant says it's well worth it.

"This is a family-owned restaurant," Tarrant said. "And when you walk through the doors, we look at you as much as like family as anybody else."