Crawfish shortage is affecting restaurants and consumers in Northeast Louisiana

MONROE, La. (KNOE) – Crawfish is scarce this year, and it is hitting restaurants down to the consumer.

Experts said last summer’s drought and recent winter weather are to blame for the current crawfish shortage in Louisiana. Claw Daddy’s Crawfish and Oyster Bar in Monroe is one of the many restaurants in Northeast Louisiana taking a financial hit.

Cook, Luke Parrish, said around this same time last year, they were paying half of what they are now. He said the restaurant’s current sales are down by 71,000 dollars compared to last year. If there is any crawfish available in April, he said their sales will still be down by 725,000 dollars.

Not only is the shortage affecting restaurant sales, but Parrish said they had to lay some employees off.

“We trained 15 new staff members full-time for several weeks. So 18, 19, 20 thousand dollars in training then we had to lay them off. We went from having 71 employees to now 47 employees. The tips for the servers, we’re talking 19 thousand dollars in tips, up to 57 thousand dollars last year, so it’s taking money out of their pockets that they depend on,” said Parrish.

Parrish said if they do have any crawfish, prices will spike. He said to make up for the shortage, the restaurant is selling steaks. With how scarce crawfish are, Parrish said they will not be selling any until the supply improves.

“Let’s say we ask for 3 thousand pounds, which is about what we sell in a week, and usually they deliver 150 or 200 pounds. Well, we tried it twice. We sold at 407 one day, and we sold out at 411 the next day. So we just don’t do it. I don’t want people to drive all the way out here and be disappointed. If we can get a thousand or so pounds, and last an hour or two then we’ll do it. But for 10 minutes we’re just going to wait until it’s available,” said Parrish.

Parrish said hopefully there will be crawfish available in late February, and that there will be a better season next year. He said for the time being, oysters are a great alternative and this is the best season to get them.

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