June 11, 2014 — Whether and wherever they’re called oysters or “ersters,” sales of the briny bivalves are booming in North America. Happy suppliers say demand is outstripping supply and that price escalation has yet to stall diner desire for the homely mollusks.
“Buck a shuck” happy hour prices can be found in cities near supply sources, though some oyster bars are charging USD 2.50 (EUR 1.85) to USD 5 (EUR 3.69) in San Francisco.
Part of the boom can be credited to restaurant sales. New menu research from Technomic of 5,000 independents and 2,000 chains shows a 7.5 percent increase of oyster items year over year between Q1 2013 and Q1 2014. The Chicago-based research firm said oyster bars are popping up all over the United States.