Red Lobster
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (September 2011) |
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| Type | Wholly owned subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Founded | Lakeland, Florida (1968) |
| Founder(s) | Bill Darden |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Number of locations | 705 restaurants worldwide (2009) |
| Area served | North America Japan United Arab Emirates |
| Products | Seafood Steak, Chicken, Pasta |
| Parent | Darden Restaurants Inc. |
| Website | redlobster.com |
Red Lobster is a U.S. chain of seafood restaurants. It also operates in Canada, the UAE and Japan (Transliterated as レッドロブスター (Reddorobusutā)). It is aimed at the mid-level "casual dining" segment of the market. The menu includes a variety of specialty seafood and non-seafood entrees, appetizers, salads, and desserts.
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[edit] Company growth and franchises
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010) |
Red Lobster was founded in 1968 by entrepreneur Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby.[1] Originally billed as a "Harbor for Seafood Lovers", the original restaurant in Lakeland, Florida was followed by several others throughout the Southeast. General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970 as a five-unit restaurant company. The chain expanded rapidly in the 1980s. Red Lobster entered in Canada in the 1980's and is still present, but it exited the Québec market in September 1997.
In 1995, Red Lobster (along with Olive Garden and other sister chains) became part of Darden Restaurants, which was spun off from General Mills as an independent, publicly traded corporation. Today, there are nearly 700 Red Lobster locations throughout the United States.
Red Lobster twice offered an endless snow crab leg promotion. However, in 2003 the promotion resulted in parent company Darden Restaurants taking a $3 million charge to third quarter earnings resulting in President Edna Morris' departure from the company. The ill-timed promotion was launched amid high wholesale crab legs prices. The chain also underestimated how many times guest would order more.[2] Further complicating matters at the restaurant level was the amount of time guests spent table-side in the restaurant cracking crab legs which increased wait times in the lobby and overall diminished guest capacity per hour. In more recent years, the chain has usually offered an "Endless Shrimp" promotion once per year.
[edit] Restaurants
In 2009, Red Lobster debuted a new restaurant prototype modeled after coastal New England.[3] The new exterior features include shingle and stone towers, signal flags and Adirondack-style benches. Interior updates include dark wood paneling, warm-toned fabrics, soft lighting and nautical decor and artwork.[4]
[edit] References
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This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (September 2011) |
- ^ http://www.freebase.com/view/en/red_lobster Red Lobster Facts - Freebase
- ^ Newton, Benita (2003-10-26). "All-you-can-eat was too much". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2003/09/26/State/All_you_can_eat_was_t.shtml.
- ^ "Red Lobster "Bar Harbor" program". http://www.redlobster.com/barharbor.
- ^ "Red Lobsters Cook-up a Fresher look". Chattanooga Times Free Press. 12/2009. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/dec/25/red-lobsters-cook-up-fresher-look/.
[edit] External links
- Red Lobster USA website
- Red Lobster Canada website
- Red Lobster Japan website
- [1] Link about Red Lobster closure in Quebec and Olive Garden closure in Ontario. In french.
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