Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

After waiting tables for a number of years, Joe Dowell knew his calling was serving people. With the financial backing of his parents, he was able to open six restaurants in Louisiana featuring his signature fried fish and seafood. But when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, Dowell's restaurants were destroyed and all he had left were two fryers left in storage, so he was forced to pivot.

Over the next decade, Dowell hit the road selling his fried fish at large-scale events like festivals. When his wife, Maranda, noticed that some of his customers were waiting in line with Tupperware looking to purchase uncooked breaded fish they could fry at home, she had an epiphany. 

In 2014, the Dowells packaged Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry breading and successfully got the product onto shelves at eight local grocery stores around their new home in Atlanta, Georgia. Three years into the business, the extended Dowell family had invested $50,000, with 85% ownership belonging to Joe's father, Joe Dowell Sr. 

By 2017, when the Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry "Shark Tank" episode was filmed, the product was in 800 stores, including 315 Walmarts, 52 Krogers, 142 Publix locations, and some Meyer's and H-E-B locations, which helped bring in then-lifetime sales of $409,000. Given that the product had only been in Walmart for seven weeks at that point, the Dowells forecasted the company would have an additional $270,000 in sales for 2017 alone, but they had bigger dreams.

Stepping into the "Shark Tank" to pitch their idea, the Dowells faced Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O'Leary, seeking an investment of $150,000 in exchange for 15% of the business.

Joe and Maranda Dowell pitched Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry on Season 9, Episode 8 of "Shark Tank" in 2017. During the couple's pitch, Maranda quipped, "When people try it, they go buy it." Judging by the sharks' reaction to the fritto misto platters they were presented, the product was clearly well-received; however, the couple needed more than their charming personalities and tasty fried shrimp to convince the panelists to invest in their family-owned business.

The Dowells sought the suggested investment of $150,000 based on a $1 million business valuation. But, some of the sharks took issue with how much ownership Joe Dowell, Sr. had in the company. Although Joe, Jr. explained that his father had given him authority to make business deals, the current financial makeup caused some of the sharks to pass on the opportunity.

Kevin O'Leary was the first to do so, saying he would need to own 50% of Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry to make the initial investment worth it. Lori Greiner followed, explaining that she didn't think the business needed more investors. 

Mark Cuban admitted that he's more of a microwaved hot dog than fried fish kind of guy but applauded the Dowells' success story, saying they were the perfect example of what an entrepreneur can do if they are relentless. Still, he and Robert Herjavec passed. Ultimately, Daymond John was the only shark left to make a deal. He expressed that he appreciated the Dowells' story and their fried shrimp equally, so he offered them $150,000 for 25% of the business. The sharks encouraged the couple to take the deal, which they did.

Shark Daymond John related to Joe and Maranda Dowell's hustle, bringing their goods to people on the street, and recalling his own eight years of standing on the corner outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, selling his products. Even with the kinship, there are unsubstantiated reports that John's business deal with the Dowells never went through. Unfortunately, this isn't that unusual for the show, though it hasn't stopped the Dowells from expanding their business. 

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after the "Shark Tank" episode aired on January 14, 2018, Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry sold out of its one-pound bags of breading mix and had a two-week backlog of orders. Maranda said the show made her "vision board come true."

After receiving customer feedback, the breading recipe and packaging were tweaked a bit, reducing the bag size to 12 ounces and adding a resealable zipper and gussets to allow the package to stand up. In the five years since the show originally aired, the social media accounts for Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry have documented the company's growth, including its new product launches.

Despite the updates, however, Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry products don't appear to be currently available online. Walmart lists its 12-ounce packages as out of stock. Amazon shows the original breading mix, a new gluten-free version, and Joe's Gourmet Breaded Fully Cooked and Frozen Southern Style Fried Shrimp as unavailable as well. Even the company's website is 'currently unavailable, with a message that reads, "We'll be back soon!" 

There has been some traction in recent years for Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry. In 2019, Joe and Maranda Dowell appeared on QVC where they sold 2,300 packages of fried and frozen Southern fried chicken breasts. The product was sold in an exclusive 2.5-pound packages, offering 10 of its 4-ounce portions of chicken breaded in the proprietary seasoning mix. Also that same year, Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry announced its sustainably caught catfish breaded with their fish fry seasoning would be distributed to 1,100 Food Lion stores.

Building on their relationship with Walmart, in 2020 the Dowells opened their first Joe's Gourmet Fish and Chicken restaurant location inside a Walmart in Lithia Springs, Georgia. The restaurant was meant to be the first of multiple franchising opportunities; however, another location hasn't been opened since. The restaurant is still in business, offering a combination of fried fish and chicken in sandwiches, salads, and platters.

The Dowells also successfully got their fish fry into a subscription box in 2021 from The Black Owned Business Box. However, that looks short-lived since the company has removed its Instagram account. Although, with Facebook posts as recent as July 17, 2023, it appears Joe's Gourmet Fish Fry is still in business, although in what capacity is unclear.