For a restaurant named Red Lobster, Red Lobster didn't have a whole lot of actual lobster on the menu. That's about to change now, as the largest seafood restaurant in the world unveils its brand new menu that is putting a newfound emphasis on lobster and seafood in general.
The company is known for massive shrimp promotions, but when the price of shrimp continued to rise it cut into the company's already declining profits. That makes it the perfect time to put less emphasis on shrimp and more on the shellfish after which the restaurant is named. Lobster party!
Red Lobster president Salli Setta explained the changes in the company's official press release.
"Lobster isn't our middle name, it is our name. That's why with this menu we introduced a variety of new, craveable lobster-based dishes," says Setta. "We put it all together in a newly redesigned menu that is more visual and organized in a way that helps guests choose from all the seafood options we have to offer."
Those new lobster dishes include wood-grilled Lobster tacos, lobster scampi linguini and roasted Maine lobster back, which will be a 100 percent lobster entree. Red Lobster is also making changes to the Ultimate Feast Entree, which adds even more shrimp.
The new dishes will be presented on a new, streamlined menu more in-line with how guests typically order, starting with drinks and appetizers before presenting entrees and desserts.
According to the official press release, Red Lobster made the changes based on customer feedback, saying they wanted more seafood options and lobster prepared in different ways.
At one point, the franchise added non-seafood items like pork-chops to the menu with the hope of attracting customers who didn't like seafood as the restaurant chain struggled during the recession. That turned out to be a dumb idea for obvious reasons, and sales continued to decline despite the new menu additions.
Many of the non-seafood items on the menu, like pork-chops and spicy tortilla soup, are now gone. The AP reports the new and improved Red Lobster menu is 85 percent seafood, compared to the old menu's 75 percent.
But don't worry; those delicious, never-ending baskets of cheddar biscuits are staying. Only an idiot would ever remove those.
Photo: Red Lobster
