Red Lobster’s CEO Said That “Endless Shrimp” Caused ‘A Lot of Chaos’ for the Company

The CEO of Red Lobster said that "endless shrimp" "caused a lot of chaos".Photo byJonathan Borba/Unsplash

According to a new report by Fox Business, the new CEO of Red Lobster is claiming that the company's $20 "Endless Shrimp" deal "caused a lot of chaos" and was a "very expensive problem". Damola Adamolekun, the CEO of Orlando-based Red Lobster, recently had his first on-camera interview with CNN and talked about the endless shrimp campaign as well as the company in general.

Adamlekun said, "You stress out the kitchen. You stress out the servers. You stress out the host. People can't get a table. It creates a lot of chaos operationally". The company originally rolled out the campaign in 2004 for a limited time and it instantly became a fan favorite. However, the deal became a permanent menu item in 2023. The popular chain had a rough patch and filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. Adamolekun also noted that Thai Union, a shrimp vendor, gained majority control of the company.

The CEO stated that while he believes Thai Union meant well, "They're not restaurant operators. They're vendors for shrimp". With all of that being said, Adamolekun did not rule out bringing back the popular deal - however, "it won't be in a way that's losing money in that fashion and isn't managed".