In 2003 "Red Lobster misjudged how many seafood lovers would pour into restaurants around the United States and fill up their stomachs with pounds of sweet, juicy crab legs drenched in lemon and dipped in melted butter. While it was a delicious deal for customers, it was terrible for the company: Red Lobster lost $3.3 million in seven weeks.
Fast forward 20 years, and Red Lobster has made the same mistake - this time with shrimp - and by different management.
Last summer, Red Lobster turned $20 into $25 endless shrimp and into a permanent item on the menu. Red Lobster's major shareholder Thai Union, a Bangkok-based canned seafood company, lost $19 million in a short amount of time.In the first three weeks alone, they lost $3.3 million and let the promotion continue to run.
They have now announced that they are closing at least 99 Red Lobster locations (another article says 650 locations) and filing for bankruptcy.
With so much information on the internet, one would wonder about this company. There are dozens of articles detailing overeating at Red Lobster. Taking human nature into account, this was more of a challenge than an offer. Here's how one "reviewer" considered the challenge:
"Our server Karl sarcastically asked if we'd be game for a fourth round of shrimp. We were not... He mentioned seeing past customers order Endless Shrimp for hours on end, and jokingly told us he wondered how far we'd make it. His humor made the meal far more pleasant, even if I left with an unfounded sense that we'd let him down. Hopefully, he hadn't placed any bets on us lasting more than three rounds."
What got my attention is the "review" of each dish, as though this was cuisine. The rest of the headlines don't bother. Here are the headlines:
I Ate Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp For 8 Hours Straight
Just got back from Red Lobster Endless Shrimp. 253 shrimp
Local man in coma after eating 413 Red Lobster biscuits
I attempted to eat 100 shrimp at Red Lobster for my birthday
I could only stay for 4 and half hours but I think I got my $27
I broke $27 Endless Shrimp Record at Red Lobster
Red Lobster Endless Shrimp vs The Buffet King
We tried Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp for 7.5 hours
Our holiday weekend is coming up and in the past we went to a train meet in Pennsylvania and I could visit Longwood Gardens. Here's a May picture from a few years ago.
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