What is Red Lobster?

Red Lobster is a U.S. chain of seafood restaurants. It also operates in Canada and Japan. It is aimed at the mid-level "casual dining" segment of the market. The menu includes a variety of specialty seafood and non-seafood entrees, appetizers, salads, and desserts. The current promotion is Endless Shrimp which will run through November 12, 2007. Different markets will have unique pricepoints for this promotion.

Company growth and franchises

Red Lobster was founded in 1968 by entrepreneurs Bill Darden and Joe Lee. Originally billed as a "Harbor for Seafood Lovers", the original restaurant in Lakeland, Florida was followed by several others throughout the Southeast. General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970 as a five-unit restaurant company and rapidly expanded the company nationwide. Today, there are over 600 Red Lobster locations throughout the United States and Canada. There are also a small number of Red Lobster restaurants located in Japan.

In 1995, Red Lobster (along with the Olive Garden, and Bahama Breeze) became part of Darden Restaurants. Seasons 52 has since been added to the list of Darden owned and operated restaurants.

Red Lobster twice offered an endless snow crab leg promotion. However, in 2003 the promotion resulted in parent company Darden Restaurants taking a $3 million charge to third quarter earnings resulting in CEO Edna Morris' departure from the company. The ill-timed promotion was launched amid high wholesale crab legs prices. The chain also underestimated how many times guest would order more.^[1] Further complicating matters at the restaurant level was the amount of time guests spent tableside in the restaurant cracking crab legs which increased wait times in the lobby and overall diminished guest capacity per hour.

There are currently 31 Red Lobsters in Canada, as well as Red Lobsters in 44 of the 50 states in the United States.

Seal Hunt Criticism

Red Lobster has been targeted for being a company that buys the majority of their fish from Canada even though the seal hunts continue. In 2005, the company became a target of a boycott campaign by the Humane Society of the United States and several other major animal rights organizations.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Aside from its seafood, Red Lobster is also known for its signature Cheddar Bay Biscuits which accompany a purchased entree; they are also available ala carte at the bar. The biscuits were introduced in the early 1990s; prior to that, Red Lobster served either garlic bread or hushpuppies.

The ingredients in the biscuits include a commercially available preblended biscuit mix and shredded cheddar cheese. After baking (in a convection oven which results in the finished product being of lighter consistency than using a conventional oven) they are brushed with a combination of "buttery sauce," consisting mostly of hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt, sugar and artificial coloring, and the same garlic seasoning powder used in the chain's shrimp scampi.

References

External links

• Red Lobster USA website
• Red Lobster Canada website
• Red Lobster Japan website