Duke’s Chowder House President Duke Moscrip says the company’s success stems from quality ingredients and customer service.

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It’s not easy being an award-winning chowder restaurant, but Duke’s Chowder House makes it look effortless. Founded in 1976 by President Duke Moscrip, the company has grown to include six locations across Puget Sound, with four in its hometown of Seattle and two more in Tacoma and Kent, Wash.

“We really pride ourselves on our chowder,” Moscrip states. “It was inspired by my grandfather, John Fitzgerald Cox, who was from Massachusetts and claimed to make the best clam chowder in New England. He made a real brothy chowder, very clammy, with no cream, and I wasn’t fond of it as a kid. But he had an interesting little trick. He put chocolate éclairs in the middle of the table and if you didn’t finish your chowder, you wouldn’t get your éclairs.”

Through the years, Moscrip learned to appreciate chowder and, inspired by his grandfather, started creating his own recipes. “I began experimenting with crab, lobster, mussels, crayfish and came up with the best chowders I’ve ever tasted,” he says. “I guess my grandfather really knew what he was talking about, because we’ve won just about every award a restaurant can win.

“As a matter of fact, for three years in a row, Duke’s Chowder House was the unprecedented champion at the Seattle Cook-Off, benefitting the Seattle Alzheimer Foundation,” Moscrip continues. “They asked us not to compete anymore because they were having trouble getting people to enter into the contest.”
 
Commitment to Quality
According to Moscrip, Duke’s Chowder House’s success stems from quality ingredients and service. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been accused of wanting only the finest,” he admits. “It drove people crazy.” But Moscrip’s dedication to perfection has paid off in a big way. The company’s name has become synonymous with exceptionally good chowder, he says.

The reason is Moscrip’s commitment to buy seafood that is not farmed, but wild. Most of it comes from Alaska, “and the environment for fish is way better in Alaska than anywhere,” he adds. Also, the chowders at Duke’s Chowder House contain no chemicals, preservatives or flavor enhancers. He explains that certain fish boast exceptional flavor – you just have to know where to look.

“I was on the Stikine River in Southeast Alaska with the fisherman observing the catch of our wild king salmon,” he recalls. “There is no place on Earth quite like the Stikine River. It’s a long river, which requires the fish to have lots of oil in order to make the long trek up stream to spawn. Lots of oil equals lots of flavor. The habitat is pristine, and the king salmon that we buy there are wild, natural and sustainable.”

Also a bar and grill, Duke’s Chowder House instills the same values on its other menu items. The company buys all-natural chicken with no hormones, it cooks all items using oil with zero trans fat, all of its dressings and sauces are homemade and it even opts for extra sharp cheddar cheese vs. regular sharp cheddar cheese. “You may think it’s a small distinction, but I assure you that a cheeseburger isn’t a cheeseburger without extra sharp cheddar,” Moscrip says.

Endless Opportunities
Although the poor economy has had an adverse effect on the restaurant industry, and many companies are forced to come up with ways to cut costs, Duke’s Chowder House intends to stick by its values. “For us, we’re not sacrificing the quality of our food; we’re not sacrificing the service to our guests,” Moscrip maintains. “Whatever we cut in costs is not going to be noticed by our guests.”

A clever marketing strategy has not only allowed the company to retain loyal customers, but it also has earned Duke’s Chowder House additional business. The company has more than 200,000 members in its e-mail club, “which is unusual for only six restaurants,” Moscrip notes.

Maintaining an e-mail club allows Moscrip to establish a relationship with each customer, and consumers seem to appreciate a more personalized approach.

Looking ahead, the company intends to open several more locations across the Pacific Northwest, potentially expanding Duke’s Chowder House into California, Oregon and Canada. “We have lots of ideas of where we can go and the opportunities are endless,” Moscrip says.