Long confined to the image of a luxury dish reserved for an elite, the oyster is today experiencing a resurgence in popularity, driven by millennials. This mollusk that some associated with bourgeois platters is now on the way to becoming a trendy emblem, synonymous with sustainable and healthy food.
In the United Kingdom, the oyster has gone from being a street food under the Victorian era to that of a refined dish on star menus. Oysters are attracting a younger clientele, who no longer hesitate to savor them in new bars and restaurants which put them in the spotlight. As a Times article points out, “establishments that serve oysters claim to welcome an increasingly young clientele, (…) producers seeing an increase in sales”.
In London, the phenomenon is particularly observed at Wright Brothers, one of the main seafood suppliers distributing its products to several restaurants in the capital. Robin Hancock, co-founder of the company, had felt the blow. A few years ago he opened a small stand pop-up which had met with great success: “It was much more the spirit street foodreally more generation Y; they loved it. We flambéed the oysters with a blowtorch, it was much more informal than the atmosphere in restaurants”.
One of the keys to success? The famous oysters for one pound sterling (around 1.20 euros) during certain happy hours during the week. “We like to believe that we were the first to offer oysters for a pound, says Robin Hancock. It’s become a trend.” The operation attracts an eclectic audience, boosting the attendance of young Londoners, but also many Asian customers.
So what do young people like?
Restaurateur Richard Corrigan, who runs the century-old Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, also notes a growing craze for bivalve molluscs: “It’s not only attracting new customers, it’s also encouraging other restaurants to no longer view oysters as intimidating or merely decorative objects.” For him, “tasting an oyster is a ritual. It is an act of bravery; but then you become passionate.”
This new wind also opens up perspectives for British aquaculture. Corrigan speaks of a “real explosion” of the sector, while Chris Hadfield, sales manager at Maldon Oysters, observes a clear rejuvenation in the markets: “Before, it was a thing for people of a certain age, now it’s a lot younger.”
Among those under 35, the provocative effect of a plate of oysters is not for nothing in this trend. For the gastronomic influencer Georgiana Davies, there is also something performative in the trend: “I think young people like to go out to eat oysters because it’s a food that makes you feel grown-up – almost bold. And then the sexual connotations of the oyster make it quite sexy to order.”
If this revival owes a lot to gluttony, it is also based on health arguments: low in calories, rich in proteins and essential nutrients, oysters are attractive for their nutritional contribution as much as for their ecological approach. Their cultivation actually improves the quality of marine ecosystems, making the mollusk a rising star of responsible gastronomy.
And in France will you tell us? If urban phenomena of specialized bars are emerging, the consumption of oysters – in sharp decline since 2021 due to inflation – remains a product associated with the holiday period. The majority of French consumers are aged 50 and over, and a study confirms that consumption remains higher among this age group than among 18-34 year olds.
