COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — As the final few customers trickle in before the end of Holy Trinity Catholic Church's first fish fry of the 2022 Lenten season, the staff members are all smiles. At one point, there was a line of cars around the building at this fish fry, which is drive thru only this year.
"We had a really good turnout. We're always obviously hoping to improve our turnout and raise more funds for the school and the church. We would love to continue to have everybody support," said fish fry chair Abbi Alt.
Holy Trinity, and other fish frys may be able to improve their turnout throughout the season after popular fish frys like nearby West Catholic High School decided to take a year off.
"We're hoping that that will increase our sales so that we, in turn, can increase the funds that we can raise for our school," Alt said.
Holy Trinity is dealing with the same supply chain issues that kept other organizations out of the fish fry game this year.
"Our price for our fish dinners has increased a little bit this year, but that is greatly because of the supplies. First off, they're really hard to get this year, and we've seen our fryer oil and really our fish prices doubled from what we were paying last year," Alt said.
"We're doing our best to provide it to everybody at a reasonable price but still make money for our school."
This year, the fish fry is $12 for adult meals which include fish, fries or a baked potato, green beans, and macaroni and cheese, or $6 for a child-sized portion of mac and cheese with fries. That price could vary based on continued supply chain changes.
Every fish fry has something that sets it apart from the rest. Alt says for Holy Trinity, one of their side dishes is a known favorite.
"We make homemade from scratch macaroni and cheese and it is everybody's favorite thing. We have a couple of ladies that come in and they cook it for hours all day long," she said.
Despite the challenges, Alt says the hard work is worth it. She and her staff look forward to the Lenten season and Friday night fish frys every year.
"It's kind of like a tradition everybody wants to come they want to eat their fish in support a good cause," she said.
Holy Trinity's fish fry will continue through April 8. It runs from 5 to 7 p.m. 13 On Your Side has put together an extensive list of fish frys so you can find the events in your area.
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