Don's Seafood
Don's Seafood is a family-owned Cajun and Creole seafood restaurant chain founded in 1934 in Lafayette, Louisiana, operating six dine-in locations across South Louisiana. It serves local residents, event hosters, corporate groups, and tourists with traditional Cajun cuisine, catering, private events, and branded merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersCovington, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Don's Seafood does
Don's Seafood is a privately held, family-owned Cajun and Creole seafood restaurant chain founded in 1934 by Don Landry in Lafayette, Louisiana. The company operates six full-service dine-in locations across South Louisiana — in Covington, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Hammond, Lafayette, and Metairie — serving authentic regional cuisine including gumbo, étouffée, fried and charbroiled seafood, steaks, and signature trademarked items (Jacked Up Oysters, Jacked Up Shrimp, Jacked Up Crawfish). Each location offers private event spaces (10-45+ guests), and the chain runs weekend brunch service with specialty cocktails.
The business model is direct-to-consumer across multiple revenue streams: dine-in restaurant sales (primary), full-service catering for events, online ordering via the Aloha Order Online platform with curbside pickup, private event bookings, a branded merchandise and CPG gift shop (seasonings, hot sauce, glassware, cookbook), and an e-Club email loyalty subscription. Pricing is à la carte unit pricing with menu items ranging from approximately $4.95 for hush puppies to $42.95 for filet mignon, and catering packages priced per tray or gallon. Go-to-market relies on the 90-year brand heritage, local South Louisiana market presence, organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube), and a Gulf-to-Table content series reinforcing authentic Cajun provenance.
The technology stack is conventional for a regional restaurant chain — standard POS, Squarespace website, and the Aloha third-party ordering platform — with no proprietary technology platforms, AI/ML capabilities, or app-based infrastructure disclosed. The company holds no external funding, has no parent company, and remains independently operated across four generations of family ownership.
Don's Seafood firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Don's Seafood
- Legal name
- Don's Seafood
- Website
- https://donsseafoodonline.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Don's Seafood is a family-owned Cajun and Creole seafood restaurant chain founded in 1934 in Lafayette, Louisiana, operating six dine-in locations across South Louisiana. It serves local residents, event hosters, corporate groups, and tourists with traditional Cajun cuisine, catering, private events, and branded merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Don's Seafood industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)
Keywords
Where Don's Seafood is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Covington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Don's Seafood business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Traditional sit-down dining at 6 Louisiana restaurant locations. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales including appetizers, entrees, gumbos, salads, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, and desserts. Alcohol sales including specialty cocktails, bourbon, whiskey, wine, and craft beverages.
- Catering Services: Full-service catering for events of any size across all 6 locations. Menu offerings include party trays, poboy trays, gumbo/étouffée gallons, pasta trays, salad trays, and full banquet options. Professional planning, organization, delivery, and serving provided.
- Online Ordering & Takeout: Digital ordering through Aloha Order Online platform with curbside pickup option. Customers can call locations directly or order online for takeout.
- Gift Cards & Merchandise: Sale of physical and digital gift cards through the online gift shop. Merchandise offerings include DON'S Schooner glassware, DON'S Rocks Glass, Blacken Seasoning, All Purpose Seasoning, Low Salt All Purpose Seasoning, Cayenne Hot Sauce, and DON'S Seafood Cookbook.
- Private Events: Private dining room rentals and event space bookings at all 6 locations. Venues accommodate groups ranging from 10 to 45+ guests. Includes rehearsal dinners, birthday celebrations, anniversaries, baby showers, and corporate events.
- e-Club Membership: Email club subscription program providing members with exclusive specials, discounts, and promotional offers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Appetizers - Price range from $4.95 to $22.95 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gumbos & Soups - Cup and bowl pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Salads - Garden greens and specialty salads |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sandwiches - Poboys and specialty sandwiches with fries |
| Unit Pricing | — | Seafood Entrées - Fried, grilled, and broiled seafood |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Combo Platters - Multiple seafood selections |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Steaks - Aged Black Angus beef selections |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering Packages - Party trays and bulk orders |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brunch Items - Weekend brunch menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Desserts - House-made desserts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
Don's Seafood product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Don's Seafood operates a multi-location Cajun and Creole seafood restaurant chain with six dine-in locations across South Louisiana. The company provides traditional sit-down dining featuring authentic Louisiana seafood, gumbo, étouffée, charbroiled oysters, steaks, and weekend brunch service. It also offers full-service catering, private event spaces, online ordering, curbside pickup, and a branded gift shop selling seasonings, glassware, and cookbooks.
Product overview
Don's Seafood is a Louisiana-based Cajun seafood restaurant chain operating six locations across South Louisiana. The company offers its core dining experience featuring authentic Cajun cuisine including gumbos, étouffées, fried seafood platters, charbroiled oysters, and steaks. The product portfolio includes a main restaurant service, catering services for events, curbside pickup, private event spaces, an e-Club loyalty program, an online gift shop selling branded merchandise and seasonings, weekend brunch service, and online ordering capabilities. The restaurant was founded in 1934 by Don Landry in Lafayette and is now in its fourth generation of family operation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Don's Seafood Restaurant
- Catering Services
Companies that use Don's Seafood
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Don's Seafood technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Don's Seafood partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Certified LouisianaminorCertified Louisiana member displaying the Certified Louisiana logo on website. This certification program promotes Louisiana-based businesses and products.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Don's Seafood competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bonefish Grill: National polished casual-dining seafood chain focused on fresh fish and wood-fired preparation. Comparable in full-service seafood dining model but operates at chain scale across multiple states.
- Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. National themed seafood restaurant chain specializing in shrimp and Cajun-inspired dishes. Comparable in casual seafood dining and Louisiana-flavored cuisine, but with broader geographic reach and tourist positioning.
- Red Lobster: Largest national casual-dining seafood chain in the U.S. Competes for the same casual dining seafood customer but operates at vastly greater scale with a different value positioning.
- Landry's Seafood House: National full-service seafood restaurant chain owned by Landry's Inc., operating across multiple states. Comparable as a seafood-focused full-service chain but at much larger national scale than Don's regional operation.
- Captain D's: Largest U.S. seafood QSR chain with hundreds of locations. Comparable as a seafood-focused chain but operates at quick-service price point and scale well beyond Don's regional footprint.
Direct peers
- The Boiling Crab: Cajun-inspired seafood boil chain with multiple U.S. locations, sharing the Louisiana/Cajun cuisine heritage with Don's. Comparable in cuisine category and casual seafood positioning.
- Drago's Seafood Restaurant: Louisiana-based seafood restaurant famous for charbroiled oysters, with locations in Metairie and other South Louisiana markets. Closely comparable in cuisine, signature dishes, and regional positioning to Don's.
- Acme Oyster House: Iconic Louisiana seafood restaurant chain with multiple locations across South Louisiana, serving oysters, Cajun seafood, and po'boys. Directly comparable to Don's in cuisine, customer base, and regional footprint.
Regional players
- Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Louisiana-originated QSR chain now operating globally, sharing cultural and culinary roots with Don's Cajun heritage. Comparable as a Louisiana-rooted food brand that successfully scaled, but as a franchised QSR rather than full-service dining.
- Raising Cane's: Louisiana-born chicken-focused QSR chain that scaled from a single Baton Rouge location to national presence. Relevant comparable for understanding how a Louisiana-rooted concept can scale beyond its home state.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Don's Seafood social profiles
Digital presenceDon's Seafood financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Don's Seafood leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Don's Seafood funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Don's Seafood M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Don's Seafood
What does Don's Seafood do?
Don's Seafood operates a multi-location Cajun and Creole seafood restaurant chain with six dine-in locations across South Louisiana. The company provides traditional sit-down dining featuring authentic Louisiana seafood, gumbo, étouffée, charbroiled oysters, steaks, and weekend brunch service. It also offers full-service catering, private event spaces, online ordering, curbside pickup, and a branded gift shop selling seasonings, glassware, and cookbooks.
Is Don's Seafood a public or private company?
Don's Seafood is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Don's Seafood founded?
Don's Seafood was founded in 1934. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Don's Seafood based?
Don's Seafood is headquartered in Covington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Don's Seafood make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, online Ordering & Takeout, gift Cards & Merchandise, private Events and e-Club Membership.
Who are Don's Seafood's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bonefish Grill, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Red Lobster, Landry's Seafood House and Captain D's. Direct peers are The Boiling Crab, Drago's Seafood Restaurant and Acme Oyster House. Regional players are Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Raising Cane's.
Does Don's Seafood have an API?
No public API is recorded for Don's Seafood.
What industry is Don's Seafood in?
Don's Seafood's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAE, Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5812.