Best Family Restaurant, Child Magazine

LEGAL SEA FOODS rated the BEST restaurant for families ~ Child Magazine

Four years ago, Legal Sea Foods’ CEO Roger Berkowitz took part in a roundtable discussion at Harvard University and wound up changing the ingredients used at the restaurant. “Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department, turned to me and asked if we used trans fats in our cooking,” Berkowitz recalls. “I didn’t know what trans fats were, but they didn’t sound good. I told him I didn’t think we used trans fats but asked how I could tell for certain.”

After Dr. Willett explained that these fats were present in foods that contained partially hydrogenated oil and that they’re the type of fat most unhealthy for the heart, Berkowitz returned to his restaurants and, much to his dismay, found them everywhere—in the deep-frying oils, the frozen fries, the oyster crackers, the cheddar crackers kids received upon seating, and more. Since that time, he and his staff have been on a crusade to find alternatives; three years ago, after much urging, they persuaded their supplier to offer a trans fat-free oil that can withstand high heat. “We were delighted that our blind taste tests showed that patrons preferred this oil. The preservatives in the oil with the trans fats were masking the flavor of our food,” he says.

Shortly thereafter, Legal Sea Foods coaxed its fry vendor to remove the trans fats, but when the cracker suppliers refused to budge, they got the boot. Westminster currently makes the restaurant’s yummy oyster crackers, and Our Family Farm, a company that donates all net earnings from its entire business to children’s charities, packages individual bags of cheddar crackers shaped like sea animals for the chain. “Our children’s and adults’ menus are free of trans fats, except for macaroni and cheese, and we’re working on that,” boasts Berkowitz.

Legal Sea Foods also promotes healthy eating for kids by serving a fruit and vegetable with every entrée and by offering several tempting kid-friendly seafood choices such as crunchy baked cod and a half lobster (with the meat scooped out and put back to make it easier to eat). The pickiest eaters and kids who are allergic to seafood can dive into fish-shaped ravioli with tomato sauce.  “Every quarter, I meet with two employees from each location about what we’re doing right and how we can improve not only for the adults, but for the children as well,” Berkowitz says.

“They’re the future of our business.”

• Boasts the most extensive children’s menu of our survey, with 12 entrees, nearly all of which are free of artery-clogging trans fats                     
• Tests the mercury content of its tuna and swordfish as part of a project with Harvard School of Public Health; fish with high levels are discarded
• Has donated a portion of its holiday gift-certificate sales to children’s hospitals for the last decade; in 2003, it raised more than $70,000