FOOD NEWS
14 Secrets Of Red Lobster You'll Wish You Knew Sooner
BY AUDREY HICKEY
Endless Shrimp
Launched in 2004, the Ultimate Endless Shrimp promotion offers patrons all-you-can-eat shrimp dishes. The chain added it to the permanent menu for $20 in June 2023.
The original $20 cost contributed to substantial operating losses amounting to $20 million for the year. This caused the chain to up the price to $25 in 2023's fourth quarter.
Bad Deal
While the shrimp dishes in this deal are indeed endless, several dishes offer more pasta and sauce than actual shrimp, and it’s also easy to fill up on cheaper side dishes.
To truly capitalize, you'd have to eat about three pounds of shrimp, or two to four servings beyond your initial order. Many people can’t eat this much, making it a bad deal.
Endless Snow Crab
The Ultimate Endless Shrimp promotion isn't the worst financial decision the chain has ever made. That honor belongs to the Endless Snow Crab debacle of 2003.
Priced at $22.99, the promo caused Red Lobster to lose $3.3 million in seven weeks, wiping out $400 million of the chain’s stock value in a week and causing the CEO to step down.
Playing With Food
There have been rumors about Red Lobster waitstaff playing with the food. One employee confessed that bored staffers have been known to organize lobster races.
Unlisted Items
Red Lobster serves several off-menu offerings. Each restaurant has a fully-stocked bar and a trained bartender, so you can order off-menu alcoholic drinks.
For dessert, you can order ice cream with or without sauce or a fresh fruit salad. For entrées, customers can order previously available specials no longer listed on the menu.