If you look at statistics regarding turnover rates for independent restaurants (as in those not operating under the umbrella of a larger chain), the numbers are quite staggering. Depending on what studies you read, between 23%-26% of all new restaurants fail within their first year of operation. I find that to be scary, quite frankly, as it equates to a 1-out-of-4 scenario. I guess that sort of potentiality is something prospective and current business owners just accept as part of the risk of such a venture, or perhaps it's a statement regarding how some diners will always be better than others, but even so it's mind boggling to me that so many eateries die so quickly.
That said, it's great to hear about a local restaurant that's done well. The Catawba Fish Camp in Fort Lawn, South Carolina (situated along the Catawba river, hence the name) has done so well in fact that theirs is a history that spans more than 60 years. Having grown up in nearby Lancaster, SC it should come as no surprise that it's one of my favorite restaurants and a place that I always look forward to revisiting.
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| The Catawba Fish Camp - the roof is normally red when it's not covered with snow |
So what makes the Fish Camp so special that it's lasted as long as it has? Great food, first and foremost, but also the fact that the Fish Camp has become an iconic eatery known for its style, southern presence and consistency in delivering some of the best seafood you're likely to find in the state.
Let me try to explain a bit about their food and what makes it so unique. Fish Camp is a seafood restaurant (What, you expected pizza?) but they also serve fried chicken as well as some of the best fried chicken livers you'll ever taste. Generally speaking, Fish Camp serves their food family style in an all-you-can-eat arrangement. (Items like crab legs or seafood platters aren't usually granted additional helpings.) The steaming hot food is brought to your table on a shiny silver platter - those platters are something of a trademark of the Fish Camp as they've been using them for as long as I can remember, and I've been eating there for the majority of my life. The photo below is one that I took a while back when visiting the Fish Camp.
What you see there is an example of some of Fish Camp's finest offerings. Starting in the top-left, you have flounder fillet, salt & pepper catfish fillet (the smaller, darker, more curled-up pieces), scallops and tilapia. Beneath that you have hush puppies and fresh cut French fries. Yes, almost all the food Fish Camp serves is fried (they do have boiled shrimp in shell as well as grilled chicken). If you have an aversion to food that's been breaded and cooked to a lovely golden brown, too bad. Actually, I take that back. If you don't like your seafood the way Fish Camp does it, good - that just means more for the rest of us.
If you're not familiar with the concept of seafood being prepared "salt & pepper", it's essentially nothing more than adding salt and pepper to the dredge used in breading the fish. Typically there's more pepper than salt which gives the fish some heat - it can liven up just about any variety of fish, although most commonly you see the salt & pepper tag applied to catfish fillet. Why, I couldn't tell you. It's one of those things that started sometime in the past and has caught on to the point that it's now more or less standard.
Flounder and catfish fillet are definitely the most popular catches at Fish Camp but my favorite happens to be the tilapia. Tilapia hasn't always been on the menu there; if I remember correctly, it was introduced a while back as a result of Fish Camp not being able to get enough flounder to suit demand. If you've never had it, tilapia is very much like flounder in that it's a white fish with a flaky texture. The flavor is mild and it has a surprisingly sweet taste to it. I like spicy food which is why I usually get mine prepared salt & pepper. I think it adds to the flavor of the fish and plays well off of its inherent sweetness. Hit it with a little cocktail sauce and you've got a meal that's just about perfect in my mind!
In describing the seafood I've neglected a few of Fish Camp's most well known accoutrements, specifically the hush puppies, slaw and French fries. The hush puppies and slaw are brought to your table along with your drinks as something of an appetizer (I've gotten a takeout order of nothing but slaw and hush puppies, truth be told, as I could make a meal out of them alone), and they compliment each other perfectly. The hush puppies are delivered to your table while they're still piping hot. If you've ever had a fresh, hot doughnut I can tell you that the experience of eating Fish Camp hush puppies isn't too far removed from that. Their exterior has a bit of a crunch to it but on the inside they're soft and warm. They'll literally melt in your mouth!
You have a choice of sweet or sour slaw - I prefer the sour although my wife prefers the sweet (I don't dislike the sweet slaw, I just would rather have the sour). I have no idea how they make the slaw other than to say that the cabbage is finely chopped, almost to a point where it takes on a pulpy consistency. I like to add a few good dashes of Texas Pete hot sauce into my slaw; again, I like spicy foods and I think the vinegar in the Texas Pete gets along great with the twangy condiment on the slaw. I like to use my hush puppy as a "sopping agent", for lack of a better phrase, to help me wrangle the slaw. That hush puppy gets even happier after he's had a chance to soak up some of the slaw's condiment/Texas Pete mix.
I've been going to the Fish Camp for as long as I can remember and one of my prevailing memories of the restaurant involves their French fries. When I was a young boy, my family would go to Fish Camp for supper and I often sat next to my Grandfather. My Grandpa was a big man (he earned the nickname "Big'um" in high school) with a deep voice. During one particular visit to Fish Camp I recall that he ordered fries with his meal but the waitress couldn't understand what he was saying - not a shock seeing as how it was a busy evening and the air was filled with conversations. Because of his tone of voice and the background noise, our waitress mistook his order of "fries" for "rice". To her credit she did at least go to the kitchen to verify that there was no rice on the menu. I think the only way this story could be more amusing to me is if she'd actually produced a side order of rice. I can only imagine what Grandpa's reaction to that would've been.
Another significant memory I have from the Fish Camp dates back to George W. Bush's first Presidential campaign. His tour rolled through the Lancaster area and made a stop at the Fish Camp where he stumped in front of a packed house of supporters and media. My Grandmother and I went to check it out - it's not every day that the potential next President of the United States comes to town, after all - but by the time we got there the restaurant was overflowing with people so we stood outside instead. His remarks were being pumped out into the parking lot via a public address system; ironically enough, when he was finished talking he made his way out and I believe we were amongst the first of people who got to meet him that day. He made his way through the crowd, signing autographs and greeting folks, all the while being shadowed by several large men wearing suits, sunglasses, cowboy boots and rodeo champion-sized belt buckles. They were Texas Rangers, his security detail for the campaign.
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| Yes, I met the man who would be the President while rocking sideburns that awesome. |
The little girl was fine and I hear she's now performing as a member of Cirque du Soleil. I made that up, actually, but if she's still as limber today as she was then I'd say she could've been an incredible contortionist. And yes, if you were wondering, the claw game is still there.
Another unique feature to the Fish Camp is the candy bar. Yes, you read that right - there's a candy bar at the Fish Camp. No, I'm not talking about a singular piece of candy such as a Snickers or 3 Musketeers, I'm talking about a bar that's loaded with God only knows how many different varieties of candy, everything from Big League Chew (a personal favorite of mine) to mammoth lollipops. The candy bar is situated near the check out registers and guests pass by it on their way out of the restaurant. Some might say it's a gimmick the restaurant is using to get parents to spend a little extra money while they're there since no child is going to see that spread without asking for a few sweets. Personally, I think it adds to the experience as it reminds me of my childhood and fond memories I have of spending time with my family.
I'm going to wrap up this entry in the most appropriate way I can think of, that being to send it out with a song. You know that your restaurant is a true cultural phenomenon when it and, more specifically, a waitress in particular inspires a piece of art. With that, I give you "Fish Camp Woman" performed by the king of the country-western troubadours, the one and only Unknown Hinson.
For more information on the Catawba Fish Camp, check them out on the web and at their Facebook page.
The Catawba Fish Camp
6131 Lancaster Hwy
Fort Lawn, SC 29714
i really miss eating here. the sour slaw was always my favorite
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