Buck & Rider, a valley-based seafood restaurant, has mastered the logistics of bringing fresh, never frozen, thoughtfully sourced sustainable seafood to the table within 24-36 hours of being pulled from the waters. “We go straight to the source, working directly with fishermen and do whatever it takes to serve our guests the finest, just-caught fish and seafood,” said Adam Strecker, CEO and founding partner of Buck & Rider. “Being landlocked is no longer a problem; we have built relationships with fishers and sustainable farmers from every coast of the US and across the globe to fly in seafood seven days a week.”
Buck & Rider currently has three locations in Arizona—Camelback/Phoenix, North Scottsdale, and Gilbert/ East Valley—but has plans to open future locations Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. “We go to extraordinary lengths to bring the freshest ingredients to our restaurants,” said Strecker. “But when we enter a market with coastal connections, our goal will also be to celebrate the locally sourced seafood.”
“In New Orleans, it’s easy to take fresh-caught fish for granted,” said Craig Borges, owner of Craig Borges’ New Orleans Seafood Co. “But the impressive way Buck & Rider gets seafood caught in the morning and often onto the restaurant table by that evening, halfway across the country, is nothing short of ingenious.” To accomplish Buck & Rider’s mission, Strecker and his team use a refrigerated Sprinter van to pick up the freshly flown-in deliveries from the airport and bring them to the restaurants for the chefs to prepare.
The Buck & Rider menu changes daily depending on the day’s catch. It often features lobsters flown in from Maine, Ora King Salmon from New Zealand, Blue Crabs and Black Drum from Louisiana, oysters from Alaska and the East Coast, Turbot from Spain, Scallops from the Massachusetts coast, Hamachi from Japan, #1 Ahi Tuna from Hawaii, Yellowtail Snapper from Florida, and wild-caught shrimp from the Sea of Cortez among many others.
Oyster Farmers like Brian Harman proudly provide Buck & Rider with the best of the waters they fish daily. Their livelihood depends on the shared commitment to sustainable fishing practices. “Oyster farming is a labor of love, a livelihood that is not for the faint of heart,” said Brian, an oysterman from Canoe Lagoon Oyster Farm in Alaska. “By working with Buck & Rider, knowing that they care as much about the freshness, the quality, and the taste of the seafood they serve as I do about our farming and harvesting practices, we are able to share the beauty of our oysters with people across the country.”
Strecker was born and raised in Louisiana, where fresh seafood was available on any given day. This personal connection to seafood drives his passion for Buck & Rider and ensures that every dish served reflects his love for the ocean’s bounty.
In addition to its commitment to quality seafood, Buck & Rider has a special B&R Reserve beef program, which encompasses steaks that are Midwestern breed-specific Black Angus, grain-fed, aged between 25 and 35 days, and cut to specifications. The cocktail program follows the same ingredient-driven philosophy, incorporating hand-squeezed juices and premium spirits. This unwavering commitment to quality ensures that every dish and drink at Buck & Rider is an authentic culinary experience.
