Red Lobster is a casual dining restaurant and shouldn’t be compared to fine dining restaurants when commenting on seafood venues. Many families who can’t afford fine dining costs can go to a Red Lobster, especially if they love seafood.
Red Lobster was founded in 1968 making it over half a century old. There’s a lot to be said about its longevity. It has become an iconic restaurant in the casual dining landscape.
Casual dining restaurants have their challenges when customer preferences change. Red Lobster has struggled and needs to reinvent itself. It’s had declining sales and financial problems. It worked on enhancing the customer experience with online ordering and its mobile app.
Lobster and crab duo.Photo byRed Lobster via Facebook.
Red Lobster’s future doesn’t look as dim since the recent acquisition
In 2014, Red Lobster’s parent company, Darden Restaurants, sold it to Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm. Some may have thought this was a final effort to save Red Lobster back then. However, the private equity firm invested greatly to bring freshness and life to the chain. Restaurant designs were updated and the quality of food and service were improved.