Testimonials

by Chrystal Caruthers and Dan Culloton
Daily Herald, 26 Mar. 1999:Section 3 Business

Scott Shoub owns a seafood distribution company, Scooter Bay Seafood Sales in Glen Ellyn. With its 30,000-square-foot Westchester warehouse, it delivers thousands of pounds of raw lobster, shrimp, and other crustaceans to the likes of Jewel, Kroger and Kraft Foods. But Shoub, 36, wasn't satisfied with feeding the masses. He wanted to feed couples.

In October 1997, he started Dining DelicaSeas, a frozen gourmet meal to go. He calls it "The Ultimate Surf 'n Turf dinner." It includes a half-pound of jumbo shrimp, cooked, peeled and de-veined; a 7-ounce filet mignon; two 6- to 8-ounce lobster tails; a 4-ounce cup of cocktail sauce; two cheddar-topped, twice-baked potatoes; two after-dinner mints and a bottle of wine. It retails for $110.

"We've sold over 1,000 packages to date," he said. "We can sell these packages with our eyes closed around the holidays." The company is expecting the millennium to be a big seller. Shoub says it probably will ship 1,000 New Year's Eve orders.

The food comes packaged in 5 pounds of dry ice, twice the industry standard. While the food is frozen solid, special packaging allows the wine to arrive at room temperature.

Problem is, the holidays are few and far between. Like other mail-order business such as Beer Across America, finding creative ways to derive income on a consistent basis is a challenge. Beer Across America sought bankruptcy protection from creditors in its search to make its home-delivered microbrew business a year-round hit.

Shoub has some ideas. He's targeting corporate sales as an income-stream alternative. He hopes that the gift boxes would be given to new managers, clients and as employee incentives. Already, Dining DelicaSeas is experiencing some success on the corporate sales side. A local garage door manufacturer has ordered 350 custom-designed packages at $250 apiece.

"Corporate sales allows us to even out our sales through the year," Shoub said.

To order or for more information, call (888) 478-8245.