'Endless Shrimp' deal costs Red Lobster millions, brings it to the brink of bankruptcy

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Report: Red Lobster Is Considering Bankruptcy
'Endless Shrimp' deal cost company millions



Cue the "hot water" jokes: Red Lobster is reportedly considering a bankruptcy filing after years of losses, including an $11 million third-quarter loss in 2023 that was blamed on an overenthusiastic response to the chain's expansion of its "Endless Shrimp" deal. Bloomberg, citing "people with knowledge of the matter," reports that the chain is exploring a possible Chapter 11 filing that would allow it to keep operating while it restructures its debt, renegotiates leases, and ditches long-term contracts.

https://www.newser.com/story/349184/report-red-lobster-is-considering-bankruptcy.html

[czarjak]

1. Dare Americans to eat?

[gay texan]

2. Worst place for seafood n/t

[Jerry2144]

28. Correct. It's even worse than the starboard sea chest

For a ship’s main seawater system

[Blue Owl]

3. They forgot about Bottomless Pete, the remorseless eating machine....

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. .

[Initech]

21. That man ate all our shrimp and two plastic lobsters!

[TheBlackAdder]

4. The one by me used to make you wait 20 mins per reorder, give you ten and a pile of fries. Makes folks give up.

They were 10 small shrimp. Try waiting 20 minutes when you have kids. One reorder, two max.

Stopped taking the kids there 20 years ago. Never went back.

[wishstar]

16. That was my experience- tiny servings and endlessly waiting for server to bring a few more

We quit going years ago when the portions for all of their offerings became tiny (and they discontinued my favorite seafood marinara too). Funny that other restaurants that charge less for unlimited buffets including seafood have managed to thrive in our area.

[ripcord]

5. My friend and I used to hit up Sizzler for their steak and all you can eat shrimp

We would show up with a cribbage board, if it wasn't for our bar bill we probably would have been tossed multiple times.

[WarGamer]

25. Ahhh.... Malibu Chicken, with Malibu sauce... aka mayo with mustard.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. The fact their food was awful might have more to do with it

Just barely edible.

[dsp3000]

7. other places seem to make deals like this work.

they come to your table less frequently, give out smaller portions, etc.

[LudwigPastorius]

8. Reminds me of a sci fi short story called "All You Can Eat".

It involves an alien in (human form) at one of those buffets.

No spoiler, but let's just say, he can really put it away.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

27. "Children Of Infinity"

Great book of stories!
First time I saw The Matrix, I thought of “Wake Up To Thunder”.

[jalan48]

9. Endless shrimp could be the end of shrimp as well.

[BannonsLiver]

23. Lol at Red Lobster they are farm raised shrimp

[jalan48]

33. I did not know this. I'm sure the wild shrimp are elated as well.

[Clash City Rocker]

29. Why, did the ocean call?

[oasis]

35. "Hey George, the ocean called

they're running out of shrimp".
From a Sienfeld episode.

[flvegan]

10. Offering discount "endless shrimp" to a nation of Homer Simpsons. Pretty damn stupid

even at their "quality" of food.

[brush]

12. Yep, when you take stock of Americans when out and about...

a large percentage are quite large.

[brush]

11. Guess that's one way to get people in the door. Not the best way though...

for the bottom line.Sounds kinda trumpian.

[betsuni]

13. Curb Your Enthusiasm, All You Can Eat

[Bucky]

15. Just as bad as Truth Social, which is collapsing after serving "endless weasel"

[hatrack]

18. Bottomless glasses of whine!!!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. Well I guess that's one way to say "private equity firm" in a way that blames consumers

[ProfessorGAC]

36. Good Catch

When businesses are run by investors and not be people who know how to rum a business, bad things can happen.

[JHB]

19. They went Endless Shrimp. You never go Endless Shrimp

[SWBTATTReg]

20. Endless shrimp. Yeah, right. I run away from deals like this. The restaurants are jammed full, way too many

people there for the shrimp special so the other dishes I enjoy there as well as service suffers at my expense. Another special I hate is the endless crab legs that some put on too.

It's a shame, for I do like the variety of seafoods that they offer, and now they, as well as the ones partaking the endless deals, are going to have NOTHING left. No more Red Lobster, no more shrimp...serves them right.

[NanaCat]

22. And here I was thinking it was

The dodgy food in general that would have brought them down. It's always tasted of overpriced frozen food heated up for the clientele,

[BannonsLiver]

24. Classic DU food snob thread

10/10

[Aristus]

30. My wife and I both have a palate for fine-dining.

But we're not too proud to enjoy a casual dinner at places like Red Lobster (because she loves the lobster!), or even the DU-reviled Olive Garden.

We're both knowledgeable enough to know where to go when we want high-quality seafood or Italian food.

But sometimes, we just want a comfort meal at RL or OG.

Anyway, Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits are heavenly, and I'm not ashamed to say so.

But you'd think these places would remember the disasters previous 'all-you-can-eat' offers turned into. This is what happens when a restaurant chain is operated by a private equity firm instead of by people who understand the restaurant business. Incompetent, do-nothing executives coming up with cockamamie increase-profits schemes to justify their ridiculously high salaries.

[BannonsLiver]

34. Yes, very similar views here.

Love the cheddar bay biscuits and the admirals feast. Used to be my bday go to. Haven’t been in a while but would go back, what I don’t get is why they just didn’t simply end the promotion when it became clear it was a disaster.

[debm55]

26. I heard it was the crap legs because there was no limit on how many plates you can get. I think with the shrimp they

they limited it to three.

[DinahMoeHum]

31. Never ever been to a Red Lobster. . .

. . .though I've tried to get in a few times at one near my hometown way back when.

There had always been a line outside (and no reservations allowed); then from what I heard from others, the fare was not worth the delay.

No loss, AFAIC.

[ret5hd]

32. They still encourage table-side...

breast feeding/circumcision/pit bulls.

They discourage smoking, but only because of laws…they will sympathize with your cravings though.

Any utterance that their biscuits aren’t as good as Olive Garden bread sticks gets you a lifetime ban. Yes, lifetime. Be careful out there.