Never underestimate gluttony!

[ArtificialStupidity]

In 2003, Red Lobster ran an “Endless Crab” promotion. The all-you-can-eat deal backfired spectacularly.

Red Lobster misjudged just how many seafood lovers would pour into restaurants around the United States and fill up their stomachs with pounds of sweet, juicy crab legs drenched in lemon and dipped in melted butter. While it was a delicious deal for customers, it was terrible for the company: Red Lobster lost $3.3 million in seven weeks.

“It wasn’t the second helping on all-you-can-eat, but the third” that hurt profits, a Red Lobster executive said at the time to analysts.

Fast forward 20 years, and Red Lobster made a nearly identical mistake, but with shrimp — and under foreign ownership that caused a cascade of problems for the company.

Last summer, Red Lobster turned $20 endless shrimp into a permanent item on the menu, instead of a traditional limited-time offer.

The deal was once again too popular, and Red Lobster was unprepared for its customers’ insatiable lust for discounted shellfish.

Red Lobster’s major shareholder Thai Union, a Bangkok-based canned seafood company, lost $11 million. “We need to be much more careful,” a Thai Union executive said.

“They didn’t have the right management company in place,” said John Gordon, a restaurant industry analyst.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Went to Red Lobster here. "Crab" legs were daddy longlegs...legs.
More meat on a fly.

[FatMan]

Red Lobster was toast when Darden sold it off in 2014. If Darden cannot make it work no one else was going to make it work. Too much great fresh seafood out there today. The lack of supply chain made Red Lobster king decades ago but with the supply chain today even little mom and pops in the middle of the country can do better.

[cullenbryant]

back when you could get all you can eat gumbo, caesar salad and those biscuits. since they cancelled that, i haven't been back to one. it was incredible gumbo.

[BigMark]

After fukushima jack in the box started selling cod.

[baccaruda]

I never go to buffets. They're priced for 500lb people who can eat a dumpster load of food. They have to be to stay in business. There's no way I can consume the average amount of food they've priced in.

[ArtificialStupidity]

I never go to buffets. They're priced for 500lb people who can eat a dumpster load of food.