Red Lobster's popular Endless Shrimp offering got it in trouble, and got canceled. Now, it's back
Its Endless Shrimp deal put Red Lobster’s business in hot water, and got canceled from the menu. Now, it’s back, but maybe don’t count on it staying permanently again.
Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun, in a social video on Monday, addressed the Endless Shrimp’s comeback.
“You’ve heard the rumors, and they’re true. Your favorite shrimp promotion of the last 20 years is back. That’s right. Endless Shrimp is here, but only for a limited time. So come in and enjoy your Endless today.”
The seafood restaurant’s all-you-can-eat shrimp deal for $20 became an iconic menu item, and a permanent one “Here to stay, all day, every day,” in June 2023. It was designed to drive more customers to Red Lobster locations.
Big mistake.
The “Endless Shrimp” deal was too good to be true for the company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2024.
The restaurant chain, which operates more than 500 locations in the US, was already struggling with operational issues, inflationary pressures, debt and soft sales. The Endless Shrimp offer apparently also contributed to mounting pain for the business.
The company said at the time that the decision to make Endless Shrimp permanent amid all of the problems triggered supply chain turbulence because its shrimp supply could not keep up with demand, sometimes for days or weeks at Red Lobster restaurants. Moreover, Red Lobster was also grappling with other business issues with its shrimp vendors.
But all of that is in the past. Red Lobster emerged from bankruptcy in September 2024 under new CEO Damola Adamolekun and has decided to bring back Endless Shrimp in a limited way because of “endless guest requests” and “thousands of social media mentions” since it last appeared on menus.
Beginning April 20, Endless Shrimp is available for dine-in only at participating locations (reportedly for $25) for a limited time in the following five options:
Marry Me Shrimp, tender shrimp in a tomato cream sauce, topped with a garlic and herb crumble, Shrimp Linguini Alfredo, shrimp tossed in creamy Alfredo sauce over linguini, Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, hand-breaded, butterflied shrimp lightly fried and served with cocktail sauce, Garlic Shrimp, shrimp sautéed in a garlic and lemon butter sauce and Island Coconut Shrimp, hand-breaded jumbo coconut shrimp served with Piña colada sauce.
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