A sweepstakes tied to Captain D's new Wild Caught Alaska Batter Dipped Fish drew more than 5,000 entries over five weeks before awarding one loyal guest a seven-night Alaska cruise—demonstrating how fast-casual operators are turning supply-chain storytelling into a customer acquisition and retention tool.
The winner, Sandra Elmore of Scottsboro, Alabama, entered by scanning a QR code and submitting her receipt at her local Captain D's. She has been a regular at the chain since the Scottsboro location opened in the late 1970s—roughly five decades of visits. The prize package included a seven-night Alaska cruise for six, three ocean-view staterooms, roundtrip airfare to Seattle, two nights of Seattle hotel accommodations, and a $3,000 travel stipend.
The Sourcing Strategy
Captain D's launched its Wild Caught Batter Dipped Fish from Alaska nationwide in June, positioning U.S.-sourced seafood as a quality differentiator in the competitive fast-casual seafood segment. The Alaska cruise sweepstakes was conceived as an experiential extension of that rollout—giving guests a tangible connection to where the protein originates. The fish, harvested from Alaskan waters, is hand-battered fresh daily in each restaurant, a preparation detail the brand has leaned on to distinguish itself from frozen or pre-battered competitors.
"The Alaska Family Cruise Sweepstakes was a natural extension of what makes Captain D's special, which is bringing people together over great seafood and creating experiences that families can share," said Phil Greifeld, CEO of Captain D's. "Sandra's story is exactly the kind of connection we hoped this promotion would create."
Operator Takeaways
The promotion reflects a broader industry pattern in which QSR and fast-casual brands use limited-time sweepstakes to amplify new menu item launches, particularly when those items carry a provenance or premium-quality narrative. Co-branding with PepsiCo added promotional reach and shared marketing spend—a structure that other multi-unit operators have used to offset campaign costs while extending in-store visibility through co-branded point-of-sale materials.
For operators watching loyalty and guest-engagement trends, the mechanics here are worth noting: entry required a receipt scan via QR code, creating a lightweight data-capture moment without a full loyalty app download. That frictionless entry mechanic likely contributed to the 5,000-plus participation figure across a five-week window.
Captain D's operates more than 500 restaurants across 23 states and three countries. The chain has ranked first in the seafood category in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 for eight consecutive years and holds the top spot in the QSR 50 seafood segment by average unit volume. Founded in 1969, the Nashville-based brand has built its identity around accessible-price seafood, and this latest campaign signals continued investment in tying ingredient quality claims directly to guest-facing marketing activations.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
