Guy in charge no idea what he's doing.Promotion causes $11 million dollar loss..... hey genius did you ever think after it starting losing even at $1 million stop the damn promotion?
"Golden Gate crippled Red Lobster by selling off one of its most valuable assets, the real estate it owned, in what's known as a sale-leaseback, for $1.5 billion. With that sale, Golden Gate nearly made back its $2.1 billion purchase of Red Lobster, while turning the chain into a permanent leaser"
It's a standard procedure for gutting American retail too. That's how Toys'R'Us diedIt turns out that their main issue was corporate raiding:
David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social)
Did Red Lobster go down because of its Endless Shrimp deal? @lukewgoldstein runs the numbers. Losses from Endless Shrimp: $11 million Sale-leaseback deal that put Red Lobster properties on the hook for rent payments: $1.5 *billion* https://prospect.org/economy/2024-05-22-raiding-red-lobster/bsky.app
Don't forget the Chesapeake Bay biscuits.The lobster itself was nothing special but the coconut shrimp and fried clam were good. I used to work there for a couple years.
This is pretty awful way to do business. I think the lease position can work but you cannot charge so much the asset cannot meet the obligation. You lose all lease money if the company doesn't exist.It turns out that their main issue was corporate raiding:
David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social)
Did Red Lobster go down because of its Endless Shrimp deal? @lukewgoldstein runs the numbers. Losses from Endless Shrimp: $11 million Sale-leaseback deal that put Red Lobster properties on the hook for rent payments: $1.5 *billion* https://prospect.org/economy/2024-05-22-raiding-red-lobster/bsky.app
It's a standard procedure for gutting American retail too. That's how Toys'R'Us died
this is the McDonald's model. Corporate rents the land to the franchisees.
Red Lobster was purchased by General Mills in the 1970s from an independent owner who started the business in 1968. It was then sold off to private equity when the restaurant chain started underperforming after the housing crash in 2008. Red Lobster hasn't been an independent company able to make its own decisions for half a century.RL was stupid for selling. I understand the premise which is selling for big lump sums for cashflow, but if the new landlord is going to jack up the rent big time, it's a long run loser strategy.
It's be like a homeowner selling their house and renting it back off the new owners at bad rent prices.
Soooo, like a reverse mortgage?RL was stupid for selling. I understand the premise which is selling for big lump sums for cashflow, but if the new landlord is going to jack up the rent big time, it's a long run loser strategy.
It's be like a homeowner selling their house and renting it back off the new owners at bad rent prices.
Exactly, and like a reverse mortgage, the debt is settled once your dead(or in RL's case, bankrupt)Soooo, like a reverse mortgage?
I think that's different, but kind of the same.Soooo, like a reverse mortgage?
Sort of.Soooo, like a reverse mortgage?
The $20 US charged for unlimited shrimp dinners seems cheap too. Its seafood too. They probably should had jacked it up $5-10.
This is a great video although rather dry on what was really going on behind the scenes.
I'm sureStreetsofBeige could pick out more "what the fucking fuck did nobody see what was actually going on?" than I have.
True.Unlimited anything works out in theory, it's a tool used by restaurants to get you to buy more drinks, deserts etc.
Non alcoholic drinks have free refills, so they aren't making it up on that.True.
And with seafood (especially unlimited) you'd think people would binge it ordering drinks to satisfy their thirst from breaded, salty and garlicky food.
But who knows. Maybe most of their clientele arent big on drinks, but instead load up on bottomless pop or free glasses of water.