• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Red Lobster probes "endless shrimp" losses after bankruptcy filing

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Looks like it may be time to walk the plank.
I bet most of their staff is pretty red faced over this. Some people just can't swim in the big pool. Weird to see a big name growing up go through such trouble. Pretty cray.

Edit: It seems they've since become anemone of capitalism.

...I'm done now, I swear.
 
Last edited:

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Only been there I think twice in my life. And I remember both times it was junk.

Bankruptcy rumours have been around for a while.

Red Lobster, with about 550 casual dining restaurants in the U.S., had offered a $20 endless shrimp dish as a limited-time promotion. Former CEO Paul Kenny made it a permanent, year-round option in May 2023 despite "significant pushback" from other management team members, the documents said.
Some Red Lobster restaurants soon faced major shrimp shortages. Around the same time, it eliminated two breaded shrimp suppliers, leaving Thai Union with an exclusive deal that led to higher costs, current CEO Jonathan Tibus wrote in the filing.

"Thai Union exercised an outsized influence on the company's shrimp purchasing," Tibus wrote. "The Debtors are currently investigating the circumstances around these decisions."
Thai Union could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
CEO is an idiot. Or must be part of a kickback scam.

What moron would purposely limit suppliers to one company (for what looks like certain products)? You always go multi-sourcing, especially for a giant company like RL making food.

At my company, everything from cardboard boxes, bottles, labels etc... have various options in case something screws up. We also have multiple co-packer companies which gives flexibility, capacity, and they know if they want your business they'll give a good price or else it goes to the other company.
 
Last edited:

ManaByte

Gold Member
wkmUpiV.jpeg
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
A few years ago I went through a time of eating their crab linguine alfredo like twice a week. I went by a couple of weeks ago and they stopped selling it. Probably for the best.
 

Nydius

Gold Member
Only been there I think twice in my life. And I remember both times it was junk.

Since we’re sharing personal experience, I agree. Red Lobster is junk. So is Olive Garden.

However, I feel like I have to add a disclaimer to my opinion: Both sides of my family lived in Baltimore with my mom’s side still in Little Italy. Once you’ve become accustomed to Marylander seafood and the family restaurants in Little Italy, any kind of national chain seafood or Italian is junk. 🤣
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
I want to steal the lobster off of the one in my area. But it is right next to the prison and there are always police near it.
 

Meicyn

Gold Member

The buyer was a San Francisco-based private equity firm called Golden Gate Capital. Instead of ponying up the $2.1bn price by itself, it partly funded the deal by selling off most of Red Lobster’s real estate to another company called American Realty Capital Properties, and then having Red Lobster rent its own restaurants back.

Red Lobster had to pay $190M in rent last year alone. When you see that number next to the $294M in accumulated debt they have, a clearer picture starts to emerge.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
When I first moved to the US, I went to a Red Lobster by myself, erroneously thinking it was a fast food place and then committed to getting food because I didnt want to just pull an Abe Simpson. This was before modern cell phones as well so I couldn't just read shit on my phone - just me sat eating a meal all alone.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member

The buyer was a San Francisco-based private equity firm called Golden Gate Capital. Instead of ponying up the $2.1bn price by itself, it partly funded the deal by selling off most of Red Lobster’s real estate to another company called American Realty Capital Properties, and then having Red Lobster rent its own restaurants back.

Red Lobster had to pay $190M in rent last year alone. When you see that number next to the $294M in accumulated debt they have, a clearer picture starts to emerge.
How is that possibly legal?

I'll buy you, sell off all your assets to come up with the $$$ to buy you, then saddle you eith the debt I incurred to buy you
 

Darkmakaimura

Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
This sucks because they were pretty good especially their Chesapeake Bay biscuits.
 
welcome to white corporate murica. Many companies got gutted this way, like toys r us.



and also

Lionel Hutz: "Does this look like a man who has had "All he could eat"?

Yeah, that episode of the Simpsons was the first thing that came to mind.

Also, I was in a neighbouring city here in BC Canada last year around October to basically see a specialist and get a small operation on my hand (it's fine now). And, I was kinda surprised that there is a Toys R Us location still operating.
 

demigod

Member
In 2013 I went to Red Lobster for the first time in my life. I got the lobster plate. $25 for this small ass tail? Oh hell no, never went back ever again, I’m good.
 

Kilau

Member
Amazing that after the infamous endless crab disaster 20 years ago they would do another endless promotion expecting better results. The decisions these CEOs make really should be investigated.


The biscuits were the best thing there.
 
In 2013 I went to Red Lobster for the first time in my life. I got the lobster plate. $25 for this small ass tail? Oh hell no, never went back ever again, I’m good.

Good to know. I have never been to a red Lobster, let alone seen a Red Lobster establishment. So my thoughts on this news are basically...

*shrug*?
 
Also, I was in a neighbouring city here in BC Canada last year around October to basically see a specialist and get a small operation on my hand (it's fine now). And, I was kinda surprised that there is a Toys R Us location still operating.
IIRC, the canadian stores were sold to a 3rd party so they were unaffected by the closures.
 

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
Reminds me of this classic douchey thread

 

mitch1971

Member
A country with one of the largest percentage of obese people and someone thought an all year round all you can eat was a good idea. lol
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
It’s been a good 10 years since I went to Red Lobster. The only thing I remember is the waitress handing me a bag of biscuits to take to my dorm room. I wasn’t living in a dorm, but I enjoyed the biscuits. I haven’t had a desire to go back there. If you want fresh sea food, your first thought isn’t Red Lobster.
 

Mossybrew

Banned
Never got around to visiting Red Lobster. Not a huge seafood guy so if I'm going to a sit down place and want something nice a steak is almost certainly involved.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
If you guys wanna see the next bankruptcy coming down the line check out Peloton. Dropping like a rock. Stock down to $3 and change.

They won’t go way soon as they just did some kind of giant $1 billion fundraising at (if I understood it right) 11% interest rate!!! And also stated issuing senior notes worth around $300 million (undisclosed rate).

Absurd.

Just wait for the money to run out.

Trailing 12 months they lost $700 M according to yahoo charts.
 
Last edited:

jason10mm

Gold Member
If you guys wanna see the next bankruptcy coming down the line check out Peloton. Dropping like a rock. Stock down to $3 and change.

They won’t go way soon as they just did some kind of giant $1 billion fundraising at (if I understood it right) 11% interest rate!!! And also stated issuing senior notes worth around $300 million (undisclosed rate).

Absurd.

Just wait for the money to run out.

Trailing 12 months they lost $700 M according to yahoo charts.
I just don't understand money moving at that level. Who is just sitting around with giant piles of $$$ and thinks a stationary bike company is worth that kinda scratch?
 

Dural

Member
welcome to white corporate murica. Many companies got gutted this way, like toys r us.



and also


Yep, Toys r Us still pisses me off. They were a profitable company before they were bought. I can't understand why this is even allowed.

Red Lobster is really only good at the locations near the ocean where you can get fresh seafood. Everywhere else it's pretty bad.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
I don’t really understand the appeal of shellfish/bottom crawlers. Like, I’ll eat it if it’s what’s being served, and if you deep fry or dunk anything in melted butter it’ll go down, but it’s never my first choice or anything I want unlimited servings of
 
Went to a family member's birthday party last weekend - super fancy seafood restaurant in LA. His wife/sister in law spared no expense - pacific ocean views, crazy rich asian wedding going on the side, and they spent close to $4k for the 'experience' or $300/person. Honestly...I thought the food was mid and I was thinking about Red Lobster the entire time.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Went to a family member's birthday party last weekend - super fancy seafood restaurant in LA. His wife/sister in law spared no expense - pacific ocean views, crazy rich asian wedding going on the side, and they spent close to $4k for the 'experience' or $300/person. Honestly...I thought the food was mid and I was thinking about Red Lobster the entire time.
That's LA in general tbh.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Went to a family member's birthday party last weekend - super fancy seafood restaurant in LA. His wife/sister in law spared no expense - pacific ocean views, crazy rich asian wedding going on the side, and they spent close to $4k for the 'experience' or $300/person. Honestly...I thought the food was mid and I was thinking about Red Lobster the entire time.
I ,kinda agree, there are only so many ways to cook lobster tail, shrimp, or fish and unless you caught it yourself, it's likely all the same frozen stuff anyway.

What elevates a good seafood restaurant is the wine list.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
You need to have it fresh, good quality and well prepared, frozen stuff is rubbery and tasteless. I lived by the sea it was great, anything else NG.
I’m sure that makes a difference, but man if there’s some smoked salmon on the menu…I will take that 10/10 times.

I only really eat crab or shrimp when they’re in a sushi roll
 

JCK75

Member
I have to be honest I know it's not some amazing place but I live in a small town and it's REALLY popular here, I know our local one does great business so I hope even though a lot of them will close.. I hope ours sticks around and survives the purge.
 
The last time I went to one was almost a decade ago in 2014, my parents so woefully disliked it they refused to ever go back, it closed shortly after, so that was the end of that.

I thought it was ok but not amazing, but the word "lobster" alone creates these absurd expectations in people, it's seen as absolute the richest food you can eat, at least among middle class America.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member

nush

Member
For some communities it’s considered “fine dining”. Losing “all you can eat” is a blow.
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
The lobster itself was nothing special but the coconut shrimp and fried clam were good. I used to work there for a couple years.
 
Top Bottom