Community Chat

[CANDLEQUEEN]

Our Red Lobster here is not closing, it looked very busy on Mother's Day! However I haven't eaten there for several years, since my Mom wanted to go there. It was good though and the service was also good.

I did hear that right after Covid, ours was only open several days a week in the evenings only, because they couldn't find enough workers. 

It seems to be doing much better now and I sincerely hope it doesn't close, as we need more restaurants in our town.

[lynnie61]

@cindyNC   Dont even get me started on making lemonade, or asking for bunches of Splenda so they can take home and not purchase it themselves.  Ask for extra jelly packs, and didn't have toast!  I order water most times in restaurants but not because I'm cheap, just a better option to drink more water.  

My dad and his lady friend always went out with a couple that did the water/lemons/sugar in even nicer restaurants.  My dad said enough, and no longer wanted to eat out with them.  Use their phone to calculate 10-15 % not a penny more.  Always asked for extra sauce, rolls, butter, anything that might be free.  

I have purchased the biscuit mix in the grocery store.  Very good!  

[debfau]

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@SoCal Bred wrote:

I did hear that the 'Ultimate Endless Shrimp' all you can eat promotion last year is what did them in.  My hubby loves Red Lobster, me, not so much.  It's the not the same as it was 10 years ago, since the pandemic the quality of the food and the service has really gone down, I am speaking about the location that we go to.

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In 2014 is when Darden sold RL to Golden Gate Capital because RL was lossing money at that time.

[Kachina624]

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@raspberrygal wrote:

Here it is:

Before divesting from Red Lobster, Thai Union Group attributed the company's decision to make its "Ultimate Endless Shrimp" promotion a permanent offer as a "key factor" in its ongoing financial difficulties.

While the shrimp promotion increased traffic to the chain by 4 percent, as reported by Restaurant Business, it contributed to the $11 million in losses reported by the company in the third quarter of 2023.

According to Restaurant Business, Union Group's CFO Ludovic Regis Henri Garnier, **LINK REMOVED**  while speaking to investors in November 2023: "We knew the price was cheap, but the idea was to bring more traffic to the restaurants. So we wanted to boost our traffic, and it didn't work."

It sounds like what JC Penney did when they got rid of their coupons and sales dropped.

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@raspberrygal.  I don't know why this is news now.  It was widely reported and I wrote a thread on the subject last December. 

https://community.qvc.com/t5/Community-Chat/Has-Endless-Shrimp-Ended/td-p/8237677#M2009311

Seems as though simple math and a little knowledge of the nature of their customer could have prevented the fiasco.

[1Snickers]

   The Red Lobster in Williamsburg, VA closed Monday. My son had ordered takeout for Mother's Day and bought a special promotion gift card for Mother's Day. He only used a part of it. 
   The one in the next city closed. The only one open is 40 miles away. Takeout would be cold! The card he purchased is useless. AND they forgot our biscuits! 
   🍽️ - 🥐 = ☹️-💳=😢😩
    
  

[SharkE]

Yeah, those people on TV are disgusting.

Fattening hogs. put 'em on all fours. ROFL

[They CallMe MRWILKES]

This story has reappeared in a number of local news outlets because locations suddenly closed earlier this week, 14 across New York and New Jersey. 

The large Times Square location is still open.

[beckyb1012]

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@lynnie61 wrote:

@cindyNC   Dont even get me started on making lemonade, or asking for bunches of Splenda so they can take home and not purchase it themselves.  Ask for extra jelly packs, and didn't have toast!  I order water most times in restaurants but not because I'm cheap, just a better option to drink more water.  

My dad and his lady friend always went out with a couple that did the water/lemons/sugar in even nicer restaurants.  My dad said enough, and no longer wanted to eat out with them.  Use their phone to calculate 10-15 % not a penny more.  Always asked for extra sauce, rolls, butter, anything that might be free.  

I have purchased the biscuit mix in the grocery store.  Very good!  

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I have so wondered about that, now I guess I will have to try it.  I always order water too, but it is because I am dirt cheap.  Drives me crazy when I buy my children and grandchildren lunch/dinner and pay for all that soda.  Oh well it is worth it we have fun.   

[Sooner]

Lots of restaurants will close because with many of the new "living wage" minimum wages they can't afford to hire staff.  People won't have a living wage, but they won't have a job either.  So what is accomplished? 

So now no extra jobs, jobs for teens, etc. and the food is not too expensive for others to eat out.  

[Group 5 minus 1]

Years ago,I lived in a town that had a University and a Red Lobster. When RL had those promotions I liked to take advantage. But,the frat houses would also attend and eat and eat.

I can see why they are closing stores.