Capacity restrictions, municipal mandates and labor shortages — these are all challenges that the seafood-themed restaurant concept Shuckin’ Shack overcame during 2021 as the brand fought back from a COVID-19 sucker punch that came out of nowhere in 2020, according to Jonathan Weathington, the brand’s CEO. 

“Despite the one-two punch of labor and supply chain, 2021 served as a record-breaking year for Shuckin' Shack: The brand saw over $20 million in systemwide sales and our biggest franchise development year ever, and we emerged with renewed faith in the guiding principles of our brand,” said Weathington.

Weathington told FastCasual.com that increasing wages to be more competitive, focusing on employee well-being, and offering more flexible work schedules were key to their success with Shuckin’ Shacks’ frontline workers. Consistent brand identity was another part of the winning formula as Shuckin’ Shack continued to deliver exceptional customer service. Lastly, the brand encouraged franchisees to roll with the punches, “For us, the choice to rely on what we knew wasn't an easy one. There were certain moments throughout the prize fight of 2021 where we got knocked down, but we got back up, leaned into what we do best, and continued to throw punches,” said Weathington.

Shuckin’ Shack delivery was never more than 5% of his sales and turnover dropped 28%, making the brand a true outlier.

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