'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
Shrimp lovers will notice a key item missing from Red Lobster's new menu.
In an interview with TODAY that aired Monday, CEO Damola Adamolekun announced that the seafood chain's revamped menu will include nine new items from a lobster bisque to bacon-wrapped sea scallops. However, he confirmed that the $20 endless shrimp deal has ended permanently.
"Relevant, compelling and exciting is what we want Red Lobster to be for the future, and so we’re working on that now," Adamolekun told TODAY.
Last year the seafood chain made all-you-can-eat shrimp a permanent menu item after two decades of offering it for a limited time. The decision, made by former Red Lobster CEO Paul Kenny, cost $11 million and saddled the company "with burdensome supply obligations" subsequent CEO Jonathan Tibus said in a May bankruptcy filing.
While teasing the possibility of the controversial item's return, current CEO Adamolekun decided against it, explaining that it's "because I know how to do math."
What are the new items?
Red Lobster's revamped menu includes nine new items, which have not all been revealed, Adamolekun said.
He teased following nine items:
- Hush puppies
- Bacon-wrapped sea scallops
- Lobster bisque
- Lobster pappardelle pasta
- Grilled mahi
- Parmesan-crusted chicken
"I expect a stampede into our restaurants because we’re bringing back the hush puppies," Adamolekun said, referring the item discontinued in recent years. "I stopped going to Red Lobster because they stopped the hush puppies. Since I was in college I love the hush puppies. I’m glad they’re back."
What has Red Lobster CEO previously said about ‘endless shrimp’?
Adamolekun has "always felt dubious" about the seafood chain’s decision to offer a $20 endless shrimp deal to its customers, sharing in an October interview with CNN that shrimp was a “very expensive product to give away endlessly.”
Red Lobster decided to make the deal a permanent offering last year, nearly 20 years after they only served it seasonally and for a limited time. The decision, according to Adamolekun, caused “chaos” at locations nationwide.
"You stress out the kitchen. You stress out the servers. You stress out the host. People can’t get a table," Adamolekun told CNN.
Adamolekun said in October he would consider bringing the deal back but made no promises, citing profit concerns.
“I never want to say never, but certainly not the way that it was done," he added. "We won’t have it in a way that’s losing money in that fashion and isn’t managed."
Who is the new CEO of Red Lobster
Damola Adamolekun was brought on to be the new Red Lobster CEO in August.
The Nigeria native joins the company after previous corporate experience as P.F. Chang’s CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, as well as partner at the New York investment firm Paulson & Co.
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse and Amaris Encinas