ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Friday was the first Friday of Lent, a season of spiritual celebration for Christians and Catholics before Easter. Those who celebrate headed out for a local fish fry, as it’s tradition to not eat red meat on Fridays during Lent.

News10NBC wanted to see how people in our community were celebrating, so we swung by Charlie Riedel’s Restaurant in Webster. Crews spoke with the general manager, and they said even though the snow hurts a bit, they were gearing up for a big dinner Friday night.

Last year, Charlie’s was voted second best fish fry in Rochester, and they take pride in it.

During Lent, Charlie’s experiences a nearly 30% increase in orders. So we asked some of the customers while they waited for their dinner, what the fish fry meant to them.

“Well, it’s just a religious experience and I understand that Friday’s you don’t eat meat,” says customer Wendy Goff. “And I love the fish fries here. I’ve lived in other states that didn’t have fish fries and I was so glad to move back to New York for this.”