FARNET
Fisheries Areas Network
Good Practice Project
The “Fishtaverns” project aims to raise the quality standards of local seafood restaurants – their products and hosting capabilities – notably by improving the use of fresh fisheries products and applying attractive communication tools.
During the public consultation carried out in preparation for the Larnaca and Famagusta FLAG local development strategy, local catering industry entrepreneurs, tourism operators and consumers expressed the need to improve services provided by local seafood restaurants in order to increase customer satisfaction and, ultimately, income for the area. To achieve this, a collective effort was needed in order to adopt common standards of quality, communicate coherently on the freshness of products and raise the overall level of services provided.
On this basis, the FLAG developed the “Fishtavern” project. As a first step, a market study was launched in 2014 to set a new quality standard for the seafood restaurants. Through interviews with restaurant owners and a questionnaire directed at consumers, local authorities, travel agents, fishermen, and other local stakeholders, the study was able to identify the specific expectations of each audience. Areas of improvement included, for example, the diversity or quality of the seafood served as well as the display areas of the seafood, including information provided on the products and the languages presented.
As a second step, a call was issued by the FLAG to receive proposals regarding “quality upgrade” in local fish restaurants on the basis of common standards and other recommendations identified by the study.
The Phase 1 (Market study) corresponds to a FLAG grant of €50 000 (100% of total project cost). The total project cost of the Phase 2 (Restaurant upgrades) amounts to €719 346.54 with a contribution of €459 654.65 (64% of total project costs) by the Beneficiary.
The FLAG organised meetings and information sessions to support applicants of the call and, as a result, 15 seafood restaurants of the Larnaca and Famagusta districts coastlines developed requests for support to improve their quality standards. Based on the quality of their upgrading proposals, 12 establishments were selected by the FLAG to receive support and proceed with investments.
Following these positive results, the FLAG will support the creation of a “Local Quality Agreement” for the area’s fish restaurants during the current programming period (2014-2020). The Agreement will include improved quality standards, specific requirements (emphasizing the sourcing of local fisheries products) and a marketing plan.
Beneficiaries: 12 Fish Restaurants in five places (areas in yellow on the map):
Around the EU coastline, seafood restaurants are key income generators for fishing communities. The restaurants, however, often struggle with quality standards, customer expectations and a very competitive local environment. This project highlights a successful example of a collectively-led quality improvement and promotional campaign.
| Total project cost | €769 345 |
|---|---|
| FLAG grant |
€309 690
|
| Beneficiary contribution |
€459 655
|
| Timeframe of implementation | From May 2014 to Mar 2015 |
|---|---|
| Sea Basins |
|
| Type of area |
|
| Theme |
