General Discussion

DAMANgoldberg

(1,278 posts)

194. Gimmicks only work for so long...

Tue Aug 5, 2014, 01:25 AM

Aug 2014

What the new CEO is trying to do is to recreate a vision of being an special event restaurant. "At the end of the day, people are not going to go to a Chipotle for their anniversary or their birthday," This may be true but is condescending to say the least, and a few visits a year will not sustain the $2.5M revenue a restaurant of that size is going to need to survive (approx, $50K/week @ ACV = $15). The numbers don't add up in most cases, that's why they need to find a way to operate on a model that only requires about $1.3M to make money, and that would require getting their restaurants down to about the size of a Chipole, Smashburger, or similar concept (about 3-4K SqFt). They would come out better trying to upscale Captain D's or Long John Silvers to "Fast Casual" from "Quick Service".

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The Decline of Red Lobster Is the Decline of the Middle Class [View all] brooklynite Aug 2014 OP

Crappy food and crappy politics is the reason for Darden's decline. FSogol Aug 2014 #1

Bingo randr Aug 2014 #16

5 guys make a helluva burger, don't they? i've heard chipoltes is good but there's a authentic dionysus Aug 2014 #87

I don't know about 5 guys. They opened one here about a year ago. It's already gone notadmblnd Aug 2014 #128

hmmm. not the case here... the burger were well done, yet not dry, fries, hit or miss. i wonder what dionysus Aug 2014 #129

We have a decent labor pool in my community, so only thing notadmblnd Aug 2014 #131

could be.. we have a guy in the thread whose bun disintegrated in his hand, while me and others dionysus Aug 2014 #134

it sounds like a lack of consistency among franchises ohnoyoudidnt Aug 2014 #162

i think you're onto something. 5 guys here, the bun fits the burger... we have two other small local dionysus Aug 2014 #168

I'm with you MurrayDelph Aug 2014 #189

The best burgers that I've ever had have come from bowling alleys and bars notadmblnd Aug 2014 #190

Same here. ohnoyoudidnt Aug 2014 #200

Red Lobster microwaves a lot of it's fish! TheNutcracker Aug 2014 #122

And crappy restaurant management BlueStreak Aug 2014 #135

Fresh ingredients and paying better wages ... 1StrongBlackMan Aug 2014 #142

Where is the typical "red lobster is low grade dog food" comments? nt Logical Aug 2014 #2

How dare you? Iggo Aug 2014 #6

The food snobs are out in force down thread LordGlenconner Aug 2014 #18

why does one have to be a "food snob" just because he or she hates crappy, overpriced CatWoman Aug 2014 #36

+1 LondonReign2 Aug 2014 #38

Eating healthy is so hateful lunasun Aug 2014 #55

This message was self-deleted by its author Skittles Aug 2014 #201

You can hate whatever you want LordGlenconner Aug 2014 #39

The last sit-down dining experience my wife and I had was at a Red Lobster derby378 Aug 2014 #42

That's a nice story LordGlenconner Aug 2014 #44

Thank you - and I remember dining at Olive Garden when they still served cannoli for desert derby378 Aug 2014 #49

Thank-you for sharing vankuria Aug 2014 #74

I'm with ya. blueamy66 Aug 2014 #80

what a heartwarming story, thank you for sharing. i wish you the best. i lost my mom, and dad and i dionysus Aug 2014 #89

Bonanza is one of the first restaurants I remember eating at as a child derby378 Aug 2014 #91

the one in my old home town is a fixture... i don't think it will ever go anywhere. twice i year i dionysus Aug 2014 #94

Oh, my - that DOES sound good derby378 Aug 2014 #97

our pizza hut back home is still sit down, but it's not as good as it used to be... i used to love dionysus Aug 2014 #101

in addendum... you get an entree and the salad bar also has fried chicken, as well as salad, pudding dionysus Aug 2014 #169

Heart warming rememberance ... 1StrongBlackMan Aug 2014 #143

Thank you for sharing your story Spacemom Aug 2014 #150

Sorry about the loss of your Ginny. Enthusiast Aug 2014 #199

I agree with you, and, by the way, whathehell Aug 2014 #105

But there are much better places for the same money alarimer Aug 2014 #111

Or they have special memories and wish to continue traditions. blueamy66 Aug 2014 #112

I wanted to smack writer Joe Queenan for taking that attitude in the piece he wrote about the place Tom Ripley Aug 2014 #175

Lol, you made it! I love this place! nt Logical Aug 2014 #68

..... CatWoman Aug 2014 #70

Food snobs??? The salads at Red Lobster have brown edges, onecent Aug 2014 #202

I don't go to RL as I'm not big on cooked seafood. Nuclear Unicorn Aug 2014 #22

I'd rather eat the low-grade dog food. Iron Man Aug 2014 #32

you are IRON MAN! Lets put you to the TEST! snooper2 Aug 2014 #83

Woah. Iron Man Aug 2014 #125

Because maybe some people like the food at Red Lobster. blueamy66 Aug 2014 #132

And some people don't like it. Iron Man Aug 2014 #144

You said you preferred dog food. blueamy66 Aug 2014 #152

Figure of speech. Iron Man Aug 2014 #161

no figure of speech, you are IRON MAN! You must do the challenge! snooper2 Aug 2014 #204

I quit dogfood. Makes me fart. Eleanors38 Aug 2014 #163

Maybe people are finding better food out there NightWatcher Aug 2014 #3

There are places where Red Lobster is it exboyfil Aug 2014 #60

I live in a place like that laundry_queen Aug 2014 #88

You like those biscuits? Make them at home!!!! MADem Aug 2014 #96

They sell Red Lobster branded mix at Sam's Club Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #100

We make 'em every once in a blue moon when we're having a craving. MADem Aug 2014 #180

Oh yeah, I have! laundry_queen Aug 2014 #102

Hot outta the oven...mmmm good! nt MADem Aug 2014 #181

I never could eat that stuff, it's all oversalted Warpy Aug 2014 #76

And as a native of one of the world's largest fishing ports... MANative Aug 2014 #4

This may surprise you LordGlenconner Aug 2014 #40

No, it doesn't at all, of course. I know how fortunate I was to eat seafood that was... MANative Aug 2014 #57

when i was a little kid... our neighbor worked for the highway in some kind of capacity. a large dionysus Aug 2014 #99

I remember my grandfather telling me stories about how lobster used to be... MANative Aug 2014 #106

my dad comes from "Down East" Maine... lobster was so readily available it was often used as dionysus Aug 2014 #113

I learned to cook seafood from the time I was a tween and... MANative Aug 2014 #116

i can do a pretty decent chowder, lobster is easy, and i am proficient in pan searing cuts of fish dionysus Aug 2014 #127

I've done a version with salmon, shrimp and scallops... MANative Aug 2014 #141

i'm home office now too. tried making crusts a few times.. got too bored to perfect the technique... dionysus Aug 2014 #155

Easiest pie crust ever - 4 ingredients mixed in pie pan Tsiyu Aug 2014 #173

copied and pasted to .txt file, lol dionysus Aug 2014 #174

"And there was much rejoicing" Tsiyu Aug 2014 #191

That is genius BrotherIvan Aug 2014 #198

no problem Tsiyu Aug 2014 #206

do you eat the green stuff that comes out of it? notadmblnd Aug 2014 #139

the tomale(sp)? hell no, but dad does.. i think the green stuff is gross... but there's some dionysus Aug 2014 #156

I ordered a whole lobster once and that's what turned me off about it notadmblnd Aug 2014 #157

ewww. i've never gotten more than a tail in a restaurant.. i prefer to cook my own at home... dionysus Aug 2014 #158

I have to agree pipi_k Aug 2014 #77

No doubt about it. I'm in Fairfield County now... MANative Aug 2014 #104

i feel you, in regards to seafood; i'm from Maine. but i've been on the road for work in shitty dionysus Aug 2014 #90

Definitely true. MANative Aug 2014 #108

Similar for me. Grew up in an area with readily-available "off the boat" fish... JHB Aug 2014 #145

You can say the same for chicken and pork and tomatoes and apples and cucumbers and on and on. progressoid Aug 2014 #178

we've found red lobster to be great when travelling and/or meeting with family unblock Aug 2014 #5

It could be that their food is too expensive and not that good RockaFowler Aug 2014 #7

Good question. Laelth Aug 2014 #8

Five Guys != high-quality IDemo Aug 2014 #9

You ain't kiddin'. Iggo Aug 2014 #12

Agreed. I don't get the hype at all. It's an OK bar burger -- but if I'm paying bar burger prices, Brickbat Aug 2014 #13

That one cracked me up. enlightenment Aug 2014 #17

I'll tell you why I love Five Guys Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #21

Oh, I like them. enlightenment Aug 2014 #56

yeah, the peanut shells on the floor is old timey and pretty cool.... dionysus Aug 2014 #170

Actually, I think they encourage you to put the shells in the paper Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #171

i personally, try to be tidy, but... there's so much traffic going through there, the shells dionysus Aug 2014 #172

I walked out of a Five Guys without ordering because it was quite noisy. Manifestor_of_Light Aug 2014 #154

All fresh ingredients. Nothing is canned. They don't even have a freezer FSogol Aug 2014 #24

Good for them IDemo Aug 2014 #27

What were you doing with the bun - playing volleyball? Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #62

No, softball IDemo Aug 2014 #71

Quality of burgers is subjective, and if there are burgers you like better, that's cool. Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #92

Get it without tomato jmowreader Aug 2014 #130

Then you haven't been to Crack in the Box lately. Major Hogwash Aug 2014 #140

I think people are going local MindPilot Aug 2014 #10

We avoid chain restaurants when we eat out. Arugula Latte Aug 2014 #59

I went to Chipotle for my birthday this year, CEO Lopdrup. tridim Aug 2014 #11

Panera and Five Guys offer a high-quality dining experience? oberliner Aug 2014 #14

I sorta agree Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #15

I go to RL for the Skidmore Aug 2014 #19

They now sell Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuit mix at Sam's Club Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #23

You don't need a mix spinbaby Aug 2014 #64

I think the mix is essentially Bisquick Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #103

I found a recipe online years ago for those biscuits, very close indeed. niyad Aug 2014 #165

Red Lobster is too pricey for the crappy food. You can go to much better places and Pisces Aug 2014 #20

So do people think the middle class has less money to spend on eating out? el_bryanto Aug 2014 #25

If people have less money, they make their choices more carefully. RL just isn't FSogol Aug 2014 #26

+1. They're more likely to buy ingredients for a "special" meal and cook it themselves winter is coming Aug 2014 #30

Probably both. RedCappedBandit Aug 2014 #183

I think people are, more or less, assholes. Dreamer Tatum Aug 2014 #28

So, someone who disagrees with you about a restaurant chain is an asshole? FSogol Aug 2014 #31

No, someone who says 'they should do X' and then ignores when X is done Dreamer Tatum Aug 2014 #33

You need a better list CBGLuthier Aug 2014 #81

No, you miss the point, merely to get falsely upset at something I said. nt Dreamer Tatum Aug 2014 #82

Trust me, what you said was not important enough to me to get upset, falsely or otherwise. CBGLuthier Aug 2014 #84

Yet you're still here. Odd. Go play, buddy. Dreamer Tatum Aug 2014 #86

Need to change the business model... DAMANgoldberg Aug 2014 #166

OH MY GOD someone gets it. Dreamer Tatum Aug 2014 #188

Gimmicks only work for so long... DAMANgoldberg Aug 2014 #194

Crappy food. Seafood depletion no fun. roody Aug 2014 #29

The food at Red Lobster is just as bad as Old Country Buffet. Iron Man Aug 2014 #34

Actually those restaurants were okay 20 years ago. But Red Lobster has gone down in a big way. Zen Democrat Aug 2014 #35

People are eating better than they used to, also drinking less booze KurtNYC Aug 2014 #37

Out: drinking and driving leftstreet Aug 2014 #46

I Wish I Knew RobinA Aug 2014 #48

a guide by zip code KurtNYC Aug 2014 #61

Thanks RobinA Aug 2014 #107

Just checked their website.... KurtNYC Aug 2014 #123

Have you tried the one in Times Square? KamaAina Aug 2014 #41

ate at Red Lobster 1 time, ordered lobster: yuck! eShirl Aug 2014 #43

Dirty tables, seats and carpet ...and cold or shitty cock roach of the sea. L0oniX Aug 2014 #45

You can BYOB here Go Vols Aug 2014 #47

I actually like Red Lobster but it's just one of those ecstatic Aug 2014 #50

I used to enjoy their biscuits, but the last couple of times we tried to eat there MerryBlooms Aug 2014 #51

Yep, they changed the biscuits laundry_queen Aug 2014 #93

I can't speak to red lobster because I almost never go there, but Olive Garden is Sheldon Cooper Aug 2014 #52

Eh, I've gone to crappy Mom & Pop Italian restaurants so that's no guarantee. Gormy Cuss Aug 2014 #58

If you get some of the restaurant industry supply catalogs... SeattleVet Aug 2014 #63

Yup, some independents do this too Gormy Cuss Aug 2014 #69

This! hedgehog Aug 2014 #75

And you can tell. laundry_queen Aug 2014 #98

There is no doubt that there is a declining middle class DefenseLawyer Aug 2014 #53

I avoid Darden restaurants because of the way they treat their employees . Not their crappy food lunasun Aug 2014 #54

We are fortunate to have fantastic, local non-chain family owned restaurants Zorra Aug 2014 #65

I think men are cooking more ... sunnystarr Aug 2014 #66

Eww! Garthem Aug 2014 #67

Resturant business is a cyclical business. Stores come and go. Fla Dem Aug 2014 #72

Last time I ate at a Red Lobster... Xithras Aug 2014 #73

We loved Red Lobster. When my son was little, it was one of the few places that woodsprite Aug 2014 #78

Money has put the crimp on me Politicalboi Aug 2014 #79

I wouldn't worry about the oil spill madville Aug 2014 #185

i know people love to beat them up, but as a broke college student, the unlimited salad and dionysus Aug 2014 #85

The decline in Red Lobster is directly proportional to the increase of more palatable food. MohRokTah Aug 2014 #95

Maybe I've been spoiled by living near the coasts, but I thought Red Lobster was crap. alarimer Aug 2014 #109

i'm from Maine, and i know good seafood. sadly, there are some towns out there where red lobster is dionysus Aug 2014 #114

Cheyenne, Wyoming, for one. Major Hogwash Aug 2014 #146

crappy chain restaurants are always in high traffic convenient locations pstokely Aug 2014 #195

Aren't there some good nonchain steakhouses in Cheyenne, Wyoming? pstokely Aug 2014 #196

They tried putting a Red Lobster down on Cape Cod.... Little Star Aug 2014 #110

now THAT is funny! dionysus Aug 2014 #115

crappy food at high prices is a deadly combination Vattel Aug 2014 #117

Here is where the writer of this piece and a whole lot of DU are out of touch... ScreamingMeemie Aug 2014 #118

All depends on where you live. dilby Aug 2014 #119

My opinion does not depend on where I live. ScreamingMeemie Aug 2014 #120

You're talking about working class restaurants leftstreet Aug 2014 #124

They are not. ScreamingMeemie Aug 2014 #147

I have to say, I agree with the previous poster that I have trouble seeing your price range alcibiades_mystery Aug 2014 #176

yeah, 7 or 8 bucks or whatever for a burger isn't cheap. Two real good, local, almost identical dionysus Aug 2014 #133

That looks yummy! ScreamingMeemie Aug 2014 #148

Middle Class and Working Class are not the same thing Xithras Aug 2014 #138

Denny's is "middle class"? pstokely Aug 2014 #197

it's the Internet, especially smartphones , people can now look up restaurants and reviews JI7 Aug 2014 #121

Went recently against my best intuition, food was crappy, never again randys1 Aug 2014 #126

I still went to Skippers for several years after our Red Lobster opened. They had better fish and brewens Aug 2014 #136

The decline of Red Lobster is the rise of restaurant oversaturation jmowreader Aug 2014 #137

Red Lobster was never the hip joint was it? BootinUp Aug 2014 #149

I'd make it myself...before I'd eat their crap. Historic NY Aug 2014 #151

I love Red Lobster's garlic rolls and their fish sandwich is awesome! B Calm Aug 2014 #153

I think Kim Lopdrup underestimates the Cha Aug 2014 #159

Chipotle, Panera, and Five Guys are not Fine Dining liberal N proud Aug 2014 #160

ROFL...I laughed at that: if you "order" at a counter, it's not even dining alcibiades_mystery Aug 2014 #177

Who said they where fine dining? SpartanDem Aug 2014 #187

I will never understand how companies can pay crap wages Tsiyu Aug 2014 #164

+A million RedCappedBandit Aug 2014 #184

I was just thinking Tsiyu Aug 2014 #192

Over priced, crappy food n/t jen63 Aug 2014 #167

Not everything is associated with the dying Middle Class. Drunken Irishman Aug 2014 #179

I'd choose Chipotle over RL every time.. RedCappedBandit Aug 2014 #186

Red Lobster is more expensive than plenty of vastly superior restaurants... RedCappedBandit Aug 2014 #182

I like to take the kids to The Habit for a good burger and they have the best mackerel Aug 2014 #193

I personally hate their food anymore. ebbie15644 Aug 2014 #203

"fast-casual dining is red-hot" MinM Aug 2014 #205