Fishmonger’s Seafood closed down permanently on Sunday after serving Cajun-inspired seafood to the Plano area for over four decades.
Owners Jim and Pattie Elrod posted a farewell message on their website and Facebook page on Saturday, stating, “Fishmonger’s will be closing permanently at the close of business Sunday, November 27th.”
Looking back at what they have seen, the couple said, “It has been a pleasure to watch Plano grow and change over the last forty-one years. We’ve seen the children of 1981 bring in their children and grandchildren. Now it’s time to enjoy the next stage of our lives.”
The Elrods’ farewell ended, “So long, and thanks for all the fish. Love you all, Jim and Pattie Elrod.”
The Facebook post was flooded with comments from patrons recounting their memories of the restaurant.
The restaurant planned to serve customers this weekend “as long as there’s still food to serve.” On Saturday night, they served their last meal, and the restaurant was packed with loyal customers.
The Elrods explained that the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation had been catalysts to shutting their business down.
The business has not been able to keep up with the flagging economy. Jim Elrod stated, “It’s really difficult to make any money, with labor problems and delivery problems and food costs.”
They can no longer sell things as cheaply as they could pre-pandemic. Additionally, they have had trouble sourcing certain ingredients, such as redfish for their Ponchartrain dish or even just iceberg lettuce.
Fishmonger’s opened in 1981 and would have celebrated its 41st anniversary of serving the Plano community on December 7. In the ’80s, Fishmonger’s was one of the first seafood restaurants in the Dallas area, aside from Red Lobster.
The restaurant has been known for its “shrimp tortilla soup, gumbo, fish with Ponchartrain sauce, and bourbon bread pudding.”
Jim Elrod emphasized that it was time for the business to close. “I don’t think we ever imagined it would last 41 years,” he stated. “Back when we started all this, it was just a job, something to do.”
The owners should create a cookbook and publish their recipes. I think it would sell.