Red Lobster dissection

Culture, Media, General Culture, Chains, General Discussions
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This may be paywalled. The NYTimes has a thorough blow by blow of the slow death of the once-respected seafood restaurant chain. The management bingo is a common industry tale but the public’s colossal gluttony had a major role in the chain’s collapse.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/business/red-lobster-seafood-downfall.html?campaign_id=61&emc=edit_ts_20240909&instance_id=133837&nl=the-great-read&regi_id=73167687&segment_id=177310&te=1&user_id=ed4c9ef755dff7506021f116bf96bda2

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What a diff a day makes.

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This possibility was presented in the NYT piece but insiders view it as another venture capital effort, unlikely to succeed.

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Time will tell. The Salon article came out this afternoon.

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New CEO’s are never out of a job. If they screw up they just take their golden balloon and move on to another company. Somebody is always willing to hire people like this.,

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Actually a moot point for me. There haven’t been any Red Lobsters in or anywhere within a reasonable drive from Boston in decades, yet their TV ads still run here.

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And quite a few have already closed, so I’m surprised by the sudden buyer.

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IF they screw up? The common pattern is WHEN they screw up. For anyone with eyes to see, this game of CEO musical chairs is insane.

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I was curious (also in Boston) so I checked. The only Red Lobsters in New England are all in Connecticut…4 of them.

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In a state with access to the some of the best lobsters in the world, I believe you are thrown out of the Commonwealth for eating at one.

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Experienced RL once many moons ago in NJ. Wasn’t memorable. Wasn’t cheap. Was a one off.

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At the very least, you would be ridiculed and laughed at as a noob. And a fool.

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And, I suspect, you’d totally regret it. The biscuits do look good, but I make those at home.

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Biscuits are my only memory of the meal I once had at the extinct Nashua location. You can buy the mix - if you don’t read the ingredients and sodium percentage!

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I’ve never dined at a RL, but I can attest that the biscuit mix is very good.

The focus on great lobster may be a little misplaced. Lobster is likely better in season and in or near the fishery, but what seafood isn’t? I suggest it may be a comparable thing to king crab. Most eaters are lucky THAT they get it at all, much less in a mid priced chain restaurant. Grabbing a fresh, live king or Tanner out of a boat’s holding tank in Dutch Harbor is probably better than in any restaurant in NYC, too…

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A thousand times yes. Lobster that’s just been pulled from the water is not anything like lobster that has been held in a tank for a few days, or lobster meat that has been frozen. That light went on for me when we began to visit the Maine coast.

Other seafood travels (and freezes) much better than lobster does, or so my tastebuds say.

ETA: I grew up near Pittsburgh, which did have Red Lobster back in the day. Last visit was probably a decade-ish ago with my late mom. I don’t recall that lobster was ever a thing on their menu—more of a brand motif. But, I’m seeing online that there were times when lobster was on the menu over the years.

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Tuna.

Especially for sashimi, which generally requires at least 3-4 days of aging to achieve optimal texture and taste.

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You eat yours that way. I’ll take fresh.

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Also the bonus of ensuring the freezing kills off any parasites! Fresh tuna and fish are yummy, but fresh parasites are not.

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