11 Secrets Red Lobster Doesn't Want You to Know
Red Lobster has been a go-to spot for seafood lovers since 1968, thanks to founder Bill Darden's mission to make quality seafood accessible to everyone—not just those living near the coast. And while the restaurant has evolved over the decades, some things about the chain might surprise you.
For starters, you don't have to feel guilty about how your lobster meets its fate. Unlike some seafood restaurants, Red Lobster doesn't boil lobsters alive. According to the company's FAQ, their chefs are trained to humanely end a lobster's life just before cooking. So while there's ongoing debate about whether lobsters feel pain, at least you can enjoy your meal knowing it was handled as ethically as possible.
But before you dive into a plate of shrimp and buttery Cheddar Bay Biscuits, there are some things Red Lobster might rather keep under wraps. From financial woes to questionable menu choices, here are 11 secrets about the chain you probably didn't know.
Red Lobster Filed for Bankruptcy in 2024
On May 19, 2024, Red Lobster confirmed it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, maintaining that 580 restaurants would remain open through the restructuring process. "This restructuring is the best path forward for Red Lobster. It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth. The support we've received from our lenders and vendors will help ensure that we can complete the sale process quickly and efficiently while remaining focused on our employees and guests," CEO Jonathan Tibus said in a press release announcing the bankruptcy filing. In September, they announced they had exited Chapter 11, "stronger, more resilient, and ready for a bright new chapter," they said on social media at the time.
You Need to Eat a Lot of Shrimp to Get Your "Endless Shrimp" Money's Worth
From time to time, Red Lobster rolls out its "Endless Shrimp" promotion wherein a $15.99 price tag gets diners a dish that never ends. Well, until they have had enough shrimp, that is. According to The Travel, you'd need to eat about three pounds of shrimp in order to make it a worthwhile purchase, based on what you'd pay for the same seafood if you bought it yourself. And you're almost assuredly not going to eat three pounds of shrimp in one sitting.
The Endless Crab Promotion Almost Bankrupted the Company
In 2003, then-president Edna Morris created the truly beloved "Endless Crab" promotion. What she didn't anticipate was that the promotion would almost bankrupt the company, leading to her rapid departure. According to Mashed, two things led to the downfall of this promotion: crab suddenly increased in price and people really, really love crab. Additionally, crab isn't as satiating as shrimp. The Endless Shrimp promotion has succeeded because, as mentioned above, cheap shrimp is easier to source and people have trouble fitting in a third and fourth serving of shrimp.
The Cheddar Bay Biscuits Are Fat Bombs
Sure, Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits may be delicious but that tastiness comes c/o a lot of fat, we're sorry to report. According to Fast Food Nutrition, a single 160-calorie Cheddar Bay Biscuit derives 90 of said calories from fat, delivering 10 grams of fat (and 4.5 grams of fat per saturate fat) per little bready blob. But if you want you can buy the mix at stores and you can easily find a copycat recipe for the beloved biscuits.
The Lobsterita Is Insanely Unhealthy
Not that you order a novelty cocktail with a name like "Lobsterita" expecting a healthful libation, but the unhealthy "qualities" of this drink are still pretty amazing. The raspberry and strawberry versions of the Red Lobster Lobsterita each pack in 500 calories, 82 grams of carbs, and 70 and 69 grams of sugar, respectively, according to nutrition info shared by the chain. And that's before you drizzle melted butter over all your food and have three servings of shrimp and biscuits.
The Restaurant Was Founded Largely as a Test
The first Red Lobster location was opened in Lakeland, Florida. Florida is a coastal state, to be sure, but Lakeland is not a coastal city at all. According to The Daily Meal, opening such a restaurant in a land-locked city was a test to see whether or not a seafood-centric restaurant could work so far from the coast. Which, of course, it did, explaining why you can now find seafood chains hundreds of miles from the sea.
The Chain Has Been Caught Selling Imitation Lobster
According to Inside Edition, a few years back Red Lobster was caught offering dishes that claimed to contain lobster but actually used other seafood as a substitute. Some of the dishes, the lobster bisque, in particular, had both lobster and other, cheaper seafood, called langostino, while a few lacked lobster completely. And while langostino is technically a type of lobster, it needs to be labeled as langostino lobster when used as the sole fish, according to the FDA.
Bored Employees Reportedly Hold Lobster Races
Multiple sources cite Red Lobster employees speaking about the holding of so-called lobster races during slow shifts, which is really just adding insult to injury for these condemned crustaceans. Worse still, according to an employee quoted in Oola, some of the lobsters are held in tanks for days and even weeks without food prior to becoming food themselves.
Almost No Seafood Served at Red Lobster Is Fresh
Look, to be fair, this goes well beyond Red Lobster, extending to almost any restaurant at which you'll get fish that's not right there on the coast. While Red Lobster takes pride in where it sources fish, much of the seafood you get at a Red Lobster isn't fresh per se. Even according to the chain's own FAQ page, most of the fish and other seafood served has previously been frozen. The statement reads, "While some seafood can be delivered from the water to our restaurants fresh and never frozen, other seafood is frozen… It is precisely because some of our seafood is flash-frozen at the site of the catch that we are able to serve the highest quality seafood all year round."
Flavor Flav Helped Save Red Lobster
Flavor Flav has been instrumental in pulling the brand out of the red. In June, the rapper ordered the entire menu in an attempt to save Red Lobster. In July, he signed off on a limited-time offer called "Flavor Flav's Faves," featuring different menu options of his choice. "Mr. Flav has done a lot," the company's new, 35-year-old CEO, Damola Adamolekun, told CNN. "We're very appreciative of him.
Endless Shrimp May Return
Endless shrimp may return, according to Adamolekun, but it won't be the same. "You stress out the kitchen. You stress out the servers. You stress out the host," he told CNN. "People can't get a table. It creates a lot of chaos operationally," he added. "I never want to say never, but certainly not the way that it was done," he said. "We won't have it in a way that's losing money in that fashion and isn't managed."
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