Additional Coverage:
- Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp is back, but customers aren’t taking the bait (businessinsider.com)
Red Lobster has reintroduced its famous Endless Shrimp promotion, but this time around, the excitement is noticeably tempered.
During a recent evening at a Los Angeles Red Lobster, the all-you-can-eat shrimp deal attracted a steady flow of diners, and the restaurant appeared busier than usual. Yet, many tables remained unoccupied, and the atmosphere lacked the frenzied energy that previous Endless Shrimp events generated.
“It’s been popular,” a server noted, “but not as popular as I would have expected.”
This marks a significant change for a promotion that once defined Red Lobster’s brand-and at times overwhelmed its operations. The company had previously blamed the Endless Shrimp deal for contributing to financial struggles, even citing it as a factor in their 2024 bankruptcy filing. Last year, CEO Damola Adamolekun expressed no intention to bring the deal back.
Now, amid a challenging business environment, Red Lobster has revived the promotion for a limited six-week run in Los Angeles, citing customer demand. However, recent foot-traffic data paints a more subdued picture.
Analytics firm Advan reports that while a 2023 Endless Shrimp campaign spurred a noticeable increase in visits, similar surges have not occurred in 2024 or 2025, nor with the current relaunch. In fact, foot traffic during the latest rollout was down slightly compared to prior months.
Additional analysis from Placer.ai shows that after a strong surge last summer-helped by popular viral seafood boils-visitor numbers have declined year over year since late 2025. Experts attribute this trend to factors including unfavorable weather, rising gas prices, and broader economic uncertainty. While the shrimp deal should appeal to value-conscious customers, it faces a tougher market today.
Casual dining chains like Red Lobster are navigating a “K-shaped” economy where higher-income consumers continue to spend, but many middle- and lower-income diners are cutting back. Competitors offering aggressively priced value deals are also making it harder for brands with higher price points to attract budget-minded guests, even with promotions like Endless Shrimp.
Former Red Lobster executives say the deal was most effective as a carefully timed seasonal event, creating a sense of exclusivity and urgency. Overuse, they explained, diluted its appeal and made it less of a draw.
The dining room scene reflected this shift. While about a third of guests at the Los Angeles location opted for Endless Shrimp during a recent dinner, many chose other menu options, including steak and lobster specials priced similarly.
Some customers welcomed the promotion’s return as a sign the company is listening to its audience, valuing responsiveness and novelty. Others, however, questioned whether the price-ranging from roughly $25 to $30 depending on location-offered strong value, especially given rising food and dining costs.
One regular visitor expressed disappointment with the price increase and the lack of additional sides but acknowledged broader inflationary pressures.
Ultimately, Endless Shrimp’s purpose has long been more than just offering cheap seafood; it serves to attract guests during slower periods, ideally leading them to order higher-margin items. While the current iteration is generating some traffic, it doesn’t appear to have the same impact as before.
For Red Lobster, running the promotion late in its fiscal year during a typically slow stretch means even modest gains can be meaningful. As one former executive put it, the promotion remains a useful tool to “drive business quickly,” even if it no longer holds the same luster.
For diners like Jeffrey Turney, who has enjoyed the deal in the past, this revival doesn’t quite capture the magic of earlier years. He says he’s unlikely to return specifically for Endless Shrimp but remains open to trying other offerings at the restaurant.
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- Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp is back, but customers aren’t taking the bait (businessinsider.com)