REPORT: Red Lobster Eyeing a Return of Endless Shrimp Promotion

by

The saying goes that you should get back on the horse after a fall, and Red Lobster appears to be taking that advice. The restaurant chain is reportedly considering bringing back a promotion that previously caused financial difficulties.

Fox Business reports that Red Lobster is considering bringing back its popular ‘endless shrimp’ promotion as the company works to improve its financial situation.

According to Bloomberg, the popular all-you-can-eat promotion might return for a limited time starting as early as April.

A Red Lobster representative said the company has no current announcements, but confirmed the popular “endless shrimp” promotion is still a hit with customers and they are paying close attention to what people are saying about it.

We appreciate all your feedback and love hearing from you! We’re always listening and working to improve.

Why Did the Endless Shrimp Promotion at Red Lobster Fail?

Americans love to eat, and we always appreciate a good bargain. This love of food and deals is legendary – one person reportedly ate 108 shrimp in just four hours!

Red Lobster’s unlimited shrimp deal was more popular than they expected, leading to losses of about $11 million each quarter because customers were eating so much.

That contributed to the chain filing for bankruptcy in 2024.

Red Lobster’s New CEO Has a Plan

Damola Adamolekun, the new CEO of Red Lobster (he previously led P.F. Chang’s and started in August 2024), says the company is looking at all possibilities to turn things around for the well-known brand that many Americans remember fondly.

He acknowledged the road ahead would be challenging. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he said while there are encouraging signs, the company’s reputation was significantly harmed previously, and rebuilding it will take time and effort.

Popular Restaurants That Have Faded Away

All-Star Cafe

The popularity of Hard Rock Cafe led to many similar themed restaurants appearing around the world. However, it turned out that restaurants focused on collectible items weren’t as successful long-term as those that prioritized good food, and most of Hard Rock’s competitors quickly failed. A prime example is the Official All-Star Cafe, which was similar to Planet Hollywood but backed by sports stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Ken Griffey Jr., and Wayne Gretzky. The first opened in New York City in 1995, but the chain never really gained traction—perhaps because people often expect stadium food to be expensive and underwhelming. It eventually closed down in 2007.

Beefsteak Charlie’s

Starting as a single restaurant in New York City, this popular chain quickly grew to include dozens of locations throughout the Tri-State area. They became well-known thanks to television commercials advertising their steaks and all-you-can-eat salad bar. The chain, and its catchphrase “You’re gonna get spoiled!”, even became the subject of a parody sketch on Saturday Night Live, reimagined as “Pre-Chewed Charlie’s.” Despite its widespread recognition, the restaurant eventually declined and closed all locations by the late 2000s.

Burger Chef

When the first Star Wars movie came out, Burger Chef—a popular 1970s burger chain with over 1,000 locations—was the fast food partner, not McDonald’s. While Burger Chef eventually faded in the 1980s, it’s a notable part of fast food history because they created their own kids’ meal—called the “Funmeal”—more than five years before McDonald’s Happy Meal was introduced.

Chi-Chi’s

Chi-Chi’s, named after the wife of one of its founders, was a popular restaurant chain throughout the 1970s and 80s. By the 1990s, it had grown to over 200 locations, and Hormel began selling Chi-Chi’s branded tortilla chips and salsas, which are still available today. However, the restaurants closed in the mid-2000s, following a significant outbreak of hepatitis linked to the chain. (It’s understandable that people avoided a restaurant suspected of causing illness.)

Dive!

Steven Spielberg isn’t just a famous director—he once tried his hand at running a sandwich shop! In the 1990s, he opened “Dive!” in Los Angeles, a submarine-themed restaurant with a large yellow submarine on the outside. The menu featured unique sandwiches like soft shell crab and something called a “Nuclear Sicilian Sub Rosa.” While a second location opened in Las Vegas, both restaurants closed by the early 2000s.

Don Pablo’s

If you weren’t a customer of Chi-Chi’s, you likely visited Don Pablo’s, which was the second-largest Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurant chain in the late 1990s. However, Don Pablo’s success didn’t continue. Despite offering popular dishes like tacos and fajitas, the company went bankrupt in the 2000s, and the final restaurant closed its doors in 2019.

Fashion Cafe

Similar to the All-Star Cafe, a Fashion Cafe was launched with famous supermodels like Elle Macpherson and Naomi Campbell as its public faces. Despite their star power and a massive, seven-page menu, the restaurant struggled. The original New York City location opened and closed within just three years.

The Ground Round

The Ground Round started as an offshoot of the Howard Johnson’s restaurants and was well-known for its classic American food and the free popcorn served with every meal. At its peak, there were over 200 locations, but the chain couldn’t keep up with growing competition in the casual dining scene and filed for bankruptcy in 2004. Today, The Ground Round is mostly closed, though a few independently-owned restaurants still operate, primarily in North Dakota. If you’re in the area and craving dishes like Cajun tortellini or Caribbean sizzling sirloin tips, you might be able to find one – and hopefully, they still offer that complimentary popcorn!

Howard Johnson’s

The original owners of Ground Round, Howard Johnson’s, haven’t fared much better over the years. Though they still run many hotels, Howard Johnson’s used to be the top restaurant chain in the US, but that side of the business is now completely gone—the last restaurant closed in 2022. If you’re curious, you can find some surprisingly strange kids’ menu items online by searching for “Howard Johnson’s Children’s Menu.” One example is the “Humpty Dumpty,” a meal that included tuna salad, an egg, tomato, lettuce, a chip, a roll, butter, ice cream or gelatin, and a drink—all for just 95 cents! It’s quite a look back.

Kenny Rogers Roasters

Kenny Rogers Roasters became a 1990s fast-food sensation, famously featured in a Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Jerry both became obsessed with their chicken. While the restaurants are no longer open in the U.S., over 100 locations still operate internationally – it might be time for Kramer and Jerry to plan a trip to Malaysia!

Lone Star Steakhouse

This steakhouse chain was known for a fun, if unusual, practice: they gave every table a bucket of roasted peanuts and encouraged diners to throw the shells right onto the floor. Kids especially loved it, though their parents weren’t always thrilled about eating amongst the mess. Today, only one Lone Star Steakhouse remains open, and it’s located in Guam. All the others have closed down.

Marvel Mania

Check this out! Before the X-Men movie, Marvel tried something really unique: their first-ever theme restaurant at Universal Studios Hollywood. And yes, that’s what the Hulk costume looked like when it first debuted! I practically pleaded with my parents to take me to Marvel Mania, but the food wasn’t very good. Still, the decorations – especially a full-size Iron Man suit – were amazing for a kid like me at the time. Sadly, the uninspired food ended up being more memorable than the cool Marvel stuff, and the restaurant closed down before they could open another one.

Morrison’s

Morrison’s Cafeterias used to be a popular chain throughout the South, known for their huge selection of food. An old commercial advertised a massive seafood spread – fried shrimp, seafood au gratin, baked and fried fish and scallops, blackened fillets, plus two sides and bread. In 1998, the chain was acquired by competitor Piccadilly, which then closed nearly all of the Morrison’s locations. There’s reportedly just one left today, in Mobile, Alabama. Anyone craving some seafood au gratin?

NASCAR Cafe

Few things are as appealing as the scent of motor oil and diesel, but surprisingly, the NASCAR Cafe wasn’t a lasting success, even with a prime location at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas and its own roller coaster, Speed: The Ride. While the restaurant’s interior was impressively decorated with full-size stock cars displayed on a track around the walls, the food itself didn’t seem to have any connection to racing, according to available menus.

Old Country Buffet

Everyone loves the idea of all-you-can-eat restaurants. Buffets became incredibly popular in the 1980s and 90s, with Old Country Buffet being one of the most well-known. However, the pandemic revealed that buffets weren’t well-suited to survive in a world increasingly reliant on food delivery. The large, shared food displays suddenly seemed unsanitary rather than appealing. As a result, the company that owned Old Country Buffet closed it down, along with other buffet chains like HomeTown Buffet, in the early 2020s.

Showbiz Pizza Place

During the 1980s, Chuck E. Cheese and ShowBiz Pizza Place were the two leading family entertainment centers combining pizza and arcades. While Chuck E. Cheese still exists today (though they’re currently removing their animatronic characters), ShowBiz Pizza Place is no longer around. ShowBiz featured a unique animatronic band called The Rock-afire Explosion, which gained a devoted following and was even the subject of a 2008 documentary. The two companies merged in the mid-1980s, and eventually, the ShowBiz name disappeared. The era of ShowBiz Pizza Place is now long over.

Read More

2026-04-03 23:28