Red Lobster might be taking an old page from its playbook to win over consumers’ hearts.
The seafood restaurant chain is reportedly considering the return of endless shrimp, the all-you-can-eat deal that was one of Red Lobster’s most iconic promotions.
Although the promotion dates back decades, it was originally only offered for limited amounts of time—that is, until previous owner Thai Group made it a permanent menu fixture in June 2023.
At $20 for bottomless shrimp, many argue the move contributed to the seafood chain’s financial woes and its eventual Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024.
According to bankruptcy filings at the time, the year-round endless shrimp promotion had cost the company $11 million.
The promotion was later dropped from the menu, “because I know how to do math,” Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun told Today later that year.
Now, almost two years into Adamolekun’s crusade to achieve the “Greatest comeback in the history of the restaurant industry,” the promotion might be coming back after all.
According to Bloomberg, the restaurant chain is looking to bring back endless shrimp as a limited-time offering. It could arrive at the menu as this month.
Red Lobster has yet to make any official announcements on the matter.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson told Fast Company that “While we don’t have anything to announce at this time, we’re grateful for the enthusiasm and encourage guests to keep sharing their feedback with us.”
The spokesperson added, “Endless Shrimp has long been a Red Lobster guest favorite and one of our most popular promotions for 20 years. We’re always paying attention to what our guests are asking for.”
Prior to the news breaking, many users had speculated on the return of endless shrimp via online forums. On Reddit, one user claiming to be a Red Lobster employee inquired about further details on the r/redlobster subreddit group.
“It’s definitely coming back per management just can’t confirm when . . . need to make additional employment arrangements for when it hits,” the user wrote.
Did endless shrimp really bankrupt Red Lobster?
While speculation on the offering’s return continues, many are using the moment to highlight how complex Red Lobster’s bankruptcy really was—arguing that endless shrimp alone can’t shoulder the blame.
The chain had faced struggles long before the promotion was made permanent, and many experts have pointed to difficulties surrounding leadership turnover, increased labor costs and inflation, and a 2014 real estate deal that proved to be costly in the long term.
Beyond existing troubles, others are also underscoring private equity’s role companies’ failures. “Red Lobster went bankrupt because of private equity, not shrimp,” one user reacted to the news on X.
That sentiment in fact been shared for years. “[The] biggest reason Red Lobster went under is pretty simple,” James Surowiecki wrote for Fast Company in 2024. “Its owners sank it.”