Phillips Foods, Inc. and Seafood Restaurants

Phillips Foods, Inc. and Seafood Restaurants is a family owned and operated seafood company in the mid-Atlantic region, United States. Phillips Foods, Inc., seafood manufacturers as well as restaurateurs, specializes in blue swimming crab meat and crab cakes, and also produces an extensive line of value-added fish and shrimp products. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the company is making an effort to expand its global presence with regional headquarters and a new seafood processing facility in Thailand. [Dash, Julekah: "Phillips to Spend $21M to Beef Up Seafood Operation in Thailand," "Baltimore Business Journal", Retrieved: January 11, 2008] Owning and operating plants as well as restaurants has placed Phillips in a unique niche in the food and restaurant world.

=History=The company dates back to 1916 when Augustus E. Phillips established the company's first seafood processing plant on Hooper's Island in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. The A.E. Phillips packing plant processed seafood from many of the watermen in the region. Then, in 1956 after a surplus season of crabs, son Brice Phillips and wife Shirley opened the first “crab shack” in Ocean City, Maryland. Since then, the company's growth has been guided by their maritime heritage and profound respect for nature. The business quickly took off, and Brice and Shirley began building a new dining room each year at Phillips Crab House until they finally seated 1400 people. Today, Phillips continues to be owned and operated by three generations of Phillips working side by side.

=Crab manufacturing=Phillips is the world’s largest manufacturer of blue swimming crab meat, and employs over 10,000 people worldwide. The company's crab processing facilities are found all over the world, including the United States, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Thirteen plants are located worldwide. In 1990, Phillips opened crab processing facilities in Southeast Asia to ensure a dependable year-round supply of quality swimming crab meat for our own seafood restaurants. Phillips Foods has regional sales offices across the United States while global sales locations exist in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Australia. While most of the seafood production goes to the United States, the company has a growing market in Asia, Europe, and Australia ["Phillips Foods outlines plans for new acility in Thailand," Seafax, Retrieved: January 15, 2008]

=Products=Known for award winning crab cakes, the company has a vast array of other products including crab meat, appetizers, fish, seafood cakes, soups, entrées, and sauces. With an increase of interest in Asian cuisine, Phillips’ created the Asian Rhythms brand and product line offering authentic Far Eastern appetizers, soups and entrées using genuine recipes and the freshest local ingredients.

=Restaurants=From casual dining to buffet service and carryout, Phillips Seafood Restaurant's dining concepts are just as appealing and versatile as the seafood products offered. Phillips Seafood Restaurants can also be found in major airports around the country. The company's eight restaurant locations include:"Phillips Seafood Buffets"
* Phillips Seafood Buffet in Baltimore, MD
* Phillips Crab House Buffet in Ocean City, MD
* Phillips Seafood House Buffet in Ocean City, MD
* Phillips Seafood Buffet in Washington, DC "Phillips Seafood Express"
* Phillips Seafood Express in Baltimore
* Phillips Seafood Express at FedEx Field
* Phillips Crab House Express in Ocean City
* Phillips Seafood House Express in Ocean City
* Phillips Seafood Express in The Maryland House "Phillips Airports"
* Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA
* Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Baltimore, MD
* Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC
* Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, VA
* Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, GA

=Awards and Honors=Phillips has been recognized by regional publications, industry journals, and local and national business associations. These recognitions include:
* "European Seafood Exposition, March 2008"Pasteurized Blue Swimming Crab Meat, Premium Crab Delice and King Crab Shumai, Seafood Prix d’Elite finalists
* "Airport Review News, February 2008"“Best New Food & Beverage Concept” & “Best New Restaurant Design,” Phillips Franchising
* "Restaurants and Institutions, October 2007"Top 75 Multi-concept Operators, Phillips Seafood Restaurants ranked 52nd
* "Best Sushi, City Atlantic, May 2007"“Best of 2007” Issue
* "Restaurants and Institutions, April 2007"Top 100 Grossing Restaurants in the CountryPhillips Harborplace, #40-Sales $13.75 million
* "Restaurant Association on Maryland, 2007"Brice and Shirley Phillips, Phillips Foods Inc.Lifetime Achievement Award“Stars of the Industry”
* "Wall Street Journal, September, 2006"Voted Best Crab Cake, Catalog Critic Competition

=Sustainability=
Sustainability is a major concern for green conscious consumers. Phillips has defined a Corporate Responsibility Initiative that focuses on Environmental Issues and Resource Management, Social Responsibility, and Economic Development. ["Phillips Takes Lead," "Restaurant Hospitality", April 2008] Phillips works together with partners throughout the world to invest in the people and infrastructure of welcoming countries. The company established a Division of Aquaculture and Sustainability to make sure their purchasing decisions are good for the environment and are not jeopardizing future supplies. ["Green Foods: Organic, Local, Sustainable," "Restaurant Hospitality", April 2008] Also, the company helped create the Indonesian Crab Producers Association which teaches fishermen sustainable methods. They are a founding member of National Fisheries Institute’s Economic Integrity Platform and started a Build-A-Boat program providing boats to local waterman after the 2004 tsunami in Asia.

=Notes=