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Buzz Feed
25-07-2025
- Business
- Buzz Feed
Review — Red Lobster's Viral New Seafood Boils
Stepping into the Times Square Red Lobster, a chill went down my spine. It could have been the ice-cold AC hitting me, overheated and drenched from a heavy summer rain. It could have been the lobsters in the small aquarium, begging for rescue as we passed them, ascending the stairs to the dining room. Or it could have been the memories of Red Lobster visits of yore, stuck between my dad and my brother, in front of me a large portion of shrimp linguine, my eyes far too big for my stomach. Still, I was acutely aware of the fact that this was my first time back at Red Lobster in over a decade. I had to put these thoughts behind me and lock in. Besides the Cheddar Bay Biscuits (more thoughts on these later), I had one goal in mind: Red Lobster's new seafood boil. In May of 2024, Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with their former CEO, Jonathan Tibus, listing many woes, including "a difficult macroeconomic environment, a bloated and underperforming restaurant footprint, failed or ill-advised strategic initiatives, and increased competition within the restaurant industry.' Now, only a year later, the restaurant chain says they have exited bankruptcy protection, having been approved for a new reorganization plan. A recent TikTok posted from the official Red Lobster account announcing the new seafood boils has over two million views, with users commenting with outrageous levels of support. 'CEO popped off,' writes one user. 'He figured us ladies out to a T… seafood boils, margs, and cheddar bay biscuits.' Hard to argue with that. With that spirit in mind, my friend and I slid into a long row of booths and assessed the menu. Before we could even crack open the large plastic tomes, a warm plate of Cheddar Bay Biscuits hit the table. Besides Outback's Bloomin' Onion, the Cheddar Bay Biscuits sit at the top of the chain-restaurant food chain like a Great White Shark. The warm, buttery pockets of salt and garlic have stood the test of time, viral even before the age of the internet. I'm happy to report that they're still very good, yielding a light and buttery crumb. Finishing off a second biscuit, I knew these would be hard to beat. Hey, you! Wanna cook thousands of recipes on your phone with helpful videos and step-by-step mode? Download the free Tasty app right now. Red Lobster's new seafood boil has a couple of different options for you to choose from: There are also a few different flavor options, like Cajun Butter, Old Bay and Parmesan, and our pick, Roasted Garlic Butter, with the option to choose your spice level, a change as of early July, which was announced in a TikTok featuring the company's new CEO, Damola Adamolekum. The video has been viewed by over five million users. Like a hot air balloon, the seafood boil arrived in a plastic bag filled with steam. Our server untied the bag and set us up with claw crackers, plastic gloves, Red Lobster-branded bibs, and plenty of wet wipes — an omen of messier things to come. The sodium tidal wave of salty garlic butter hit me harder than I expected. It did exactly what it was supposed to do, disguising the mediocre lobster and shrimp with a flavor bomb that you couldn't convincingly argue was bad. When I eat seafood, I relish in the flavor of the fish or crustacean that I'm enjoying. In other words, I'm not eating shrimp cocktail for the cocktail sauce. The same can be said here. With so much going on in the dish itself, I felt it fair to rank each item individually: 6. The Corn: Soggy and dull, the quarter ear of corn had that classic canned corn taste that I avoided as a child. I still avoid it today. 5. The Crab Legs: Didn't yield a lot of meat and was very overshadowed by the oppressive garlic butter. (The proof...) 4. The Potatoes: Honestly, kind of perfectly cooked? But a potato is a potato. Hard to dislike them, especially with all that butter. 3. The Lobster Tail: I got a bit more lobster flavor here than I did from the crab legs, but still, it was hard to notice it over all that garlic butter noise. 2. The Shrimp: A step ahead of the lobster tail, only because of how snappy the shrimps were. Great texture and bite. 1. The Smoked Sausage: Okay, actually something pretty delicious happening here! The slices of sausage were just as smoky as promised, offering a little bit of depth in a dish that felt dominated by the seafood boil flavor we chose. Descending the stairs back down to the heart of Times Square, a to-go bag of Cheddar Bay Biscuits in my tote and my hands ripe with the scent of lemon wet wipes, I gave a subtle nod to the lobsters in the tank towards the exit. I thought, with a chuckle, that there is no more iconic end for them as a species than in a dish at the Times Square Red Lobster. I just wish, for their sake, it was an end that was a little bit more delicious. Would you try Red Lobster's seafood boil? Let us know in the comments. To discover and save thousands of easy recipes you can cook in the comfort of your own home, download the free Tasty app for iOS and Android to browse our entire library — no subscription required.
Business Insider
13-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
We spent $145 at Red Lobster on a meal for 2 to see if its viral new seafood boils live up to the hype
First, some context: Red Lobster hired a new CEO in 2024 after a series of setbacks. Adamolekun's mission since September has been to turn Red Lobster around from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it filed for in May 2024, with over $1 billion in debt. The new CEO slashed the Endless Shrimp deal, which he said had exacerbated the restaurant chain's financial problems. More recently, he introduced customers to Red Lobster's take on seafood boils, a steamed seafood dish popular in Cajun cooking. We headed to our local Red Lobster to try the new seafood boils. Our closest Red Lobster is in Times Square. The message of the giant ad above the store — "Making the Impossible, Possible" — felt comically inspirational in this context. We walked in and were given a slip with a table number and instructed to go upstairs. On the way, we passed the lobster tank. We went around 3 p.m. on a Thursday, and there was a decent showing for a relatively off-hours lunch. Don't expect Red Lobster's $5 cocktails at this location, however. Times Square is one of the chain's few locations that doesn't offer happy hour, much to our surprise and disappointment. (We would've indulged for research purposes only, of course.) We went with a pair of strawberry lemonades instead. An insert in the menu prominently advertises Crabfest offerings, including the new seafood boils. Crabfest, a yearly event with limited-time crab offerings, started on June 23 and runs through September 14 this year. We started our meal with the chain's famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits, of course. When I (Sarah) told my friend we were going to Red Lobster, she was quick to remind me, "Don't forget to try the crab bread." (Close enough, I guess.) The Cheddar Bay Biscuits were very warm, soft, and buttery, but could've had a stronger cheddar flavor. They were fine, but I wasn't blown away by them. My editors and friends had all said beforehand that they were excited for me to try the iconic biscuits, so perhaps it was a tall order for anything to live up to that much hype. For the appetizer, we got the lobster dip. It was $18.49 and included Maine and langostino lobster, spinach, artichoke, and a three-cheese blend topped with pico de gallo, along with a side of tortilla chips. There was very little artichoke, and we could've done with a bit more spinach as well, but the dip had pretty sizable pieces of lobster. Now for the main attraction: the seafood boils. We got one of each. For $54.99, The Mariner's Boil includes a Maine lobster tail, a dozen shrimp, snow crab legs, corn, and red potatoes. The Sailor's Boil, priced at $39.99, comes with two dozen shrimp, smoked sausage, corn, and red potatoes. We added Old Bay and Parmesan flavors to the Mariner's Boil. The flavor additions weren't marked well on the menu — it's listed under an option for the "Crab Your Way" deal, which is different from the seafood boil. You can also customize for additional spice; we got the Sailor's Boil extra spicy with the roasted garlic butter, which our waiter said was the most popular flavor. Our waiter mentioned we could also get a flavor on the side, so we got the Cajun butter in a separate bowl. Jordan's Mariner's Boil was appropriately spicy. True to the added Old Bay and Parmesan flavor, I (Jordan) got the spice and herb taste I hoped for with a rich layer from the cheese. I made sure to dip each bite in the bottom of my bag to soak up as much sauce as possible. The lobster tail that we shared was more than a little overcooked, though. The Sailor's Boil was a garlic lover's dream. There was a slight tingle on the tongue with this boil (remember that we ordered it extra spicy). But overall, it wasn't particularly hot to me (Sarah), though I should note I'm a spice fiend, so very few foods ever are. The sausage was incredibly salty, which felt like overkill when the rest of the boil and its seasonings were already heavily seasoned. Though Red Lobster has stopped its $20 Endless Shrimp promotion, it felt alive and well with this boil; two dozen shrimp is no joke, and my stomach wasn't prepared for it. But what most struck me was how much minced garlic was in this boil. Garlic lovers, this is definitely the flavor for you. The Cajun butter was a little acidic for our taste. It was sour and reminded Sarah of a vinaigrette. It tasted too much like lemon for Jordan's idea of a Cajun butter. The portions were more than we could eat, so we took leftovers to go. For reference, this is how much of the Sailor's Boil Sarah had left over. Our waiter kindly offered us a to-go container for our largely untouched side of Cajun butter. We politely declined. In total, we spent $145 with gratuity included. Our subtotal for one appetizer and two seafood boils came out to about $113. In true Times Square fashion, gratuity was included (thank you, tourism). Jordan concluded that it's an affordable price point for two seafood boils. The $54.99 Mariner's boil, in particular, is a great deal. It allows you to get crab, shrimp, and lobster without paying as much as you would at many Cajun restaurants. And for the road, we left with warm bags of Cheddar Bay Biscuits! When our waiter brought us our to-go containers, he gave us some biscuits to take home, and I (Sarah) have to say, I liked these a lot more than the ones we ate in the restaurant; these ones seemed better flavored and seasoned, and also had a better texture. So it's possible it was just a "bad" batch that disappointed me in-restaurant.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Struggling Seafood Chains That Are Making Waves Again
Seafood can make for a luxurious meal, particularly if one isn't lucky enough to live near the ocean. It's a real treat to eat flaky cod or halibut, big meaty shrimp, or delectably tender clams, all lightly breaded and deep-fried and served alongside french fries, some great-tasting restaurant coleslaw, and maybe some hushpuppies. Chain establishments offering a beloved line of seafood staples have traditionally been big players in both the sit-down restaurant industry and its more populist and informal counterpart of the fast food scene. For better or for worse, consumer tastes change and cycle. Every so often, the restaurant companies that specialize in indulgent seafood seem to suffer mightily. Not only do they face the same problems as other restaurants, but they also need to grapple with the ever-changing prices of seafood. By and large, fish-focused restaurants aren't as prominent in North America as they once were, with all kinds of seafood chains closing down an alarming number of locations in recent years. But there's hope for the future. Many of those restaurants that were once seemingly close to drowning are coming back up for air. Here are some seafood chains that are still swimming and making big splashes. Read more: Pizza Chains That Might Not Be Around Much Longer At one point, it appeared as if Red Lobster was dead in the water. The laid-back but classy seafood chain had been a go-to for those seeking a straightforward business lunch, date night, or celebratory meal of crab, lobster, shrimp, chowder, and a basket of Cheddar Bay Biscuits since 1968. In 2024, it looked like it was only a matter of time before the venerable seafood chain sank. After suffering some significant financial losses — and, specifically, losing a lot of money on its Endless Shrimp promotion after making it permanent in 2023 — Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy to stay afloat. Within three months of doing so, as many as 99 Red Lobster restaurants had closed. Not only did Red Lobster recover, but it recovered in a remarkably swift fashion. Parties associated with Fortress Investment Group formed RL Investor Holdings LLC and injected over $60 million into the operation. By September 2024, and with the blessing of a court, Red Lobster emerged from bankruptcy. The downsized and salvaged Red Lobster then began a program of economic reinvention, simplifying the menu, changing some recipes, and planning a new look for its dining rooms. With a menu built around its distinctively diamond-shaped fish filets encased in a salty, crispy brown shell, hushpuppies, clam strips, and surprisingly delicious crumblies, Long John Silver's became one of the first names in fast food fish and seafood not long after its 1969 founding in Kentucky. By the end of the 1980s, Long John Silver's was one of the most commonly found fast food restaurants in the United States, with approximately 1,500 locations. But just a few years later, the company was in trouble. In 1998, after shutting down 25 outlets, Long John Silver's Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It cited $457 million in debt and assets of only $329 million. By the early 2020s, Long John Silver's decline had continued to a point where it only retained roughly 500 locations. But the world needs Long John Silver's, and the chain's executives agreed. Under the leadership of its president, Nate Fowler, Long John Silver's underwent a reboot. The company reevaluated its franchisee agreements, its economic structure, and onsite technology. It also changed up the menu slightly, making the fish thicker, improving its marinades, and rolling out value-priced options, a loyalty program, and a smartphone app. Just two years after the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. made its fictional debut as a lucrative seafood supplier in the 1994 blockbuster "Forrest Gump," a real-life restaurant with the same name opened in Monterey, California. Similar to how Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue recites all the different, tasty ways to prepare shrimp, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants — which have popped up in dozens of locations in heavily foot-trafficked areas, primarily near tourist hotspots — sells shellfish in addition to other tried-and-true seafood favorites. Landry's, which also owns chains such as Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Rainforest Cafe, Morton's The Steakhouse, and Claim Jumper, bought the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in 2010. At that point, it was a chain of 32 locations. This number has since dwindled, with restaurants shutting down in Charleston, Maui, and Baltimore, the latter of which closed by order of the city's health department over issues with its food permit. After a few years of downturn, however, Landry's is looking to grow the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. once more. In 2025, plans were put into motion to open a new restaurant in the well-traveled resort area of South Padre Island in Texas. The enduring image of the prim and proper English butler is thanks in part to Arthur Treacher, a British actor who played several variations of the role before serving as the sidekick in the "The Merv Griffin Show." In 1969, he licensed his name to an upstart fast food chain selling the quintessential English meal, with the first Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips opening its doors in Ohio. The restaurant's menu was novel and pleasing enough to encourage massive and rapid growth, exploding into a national chain of 826 restaurants in about a decade. Three years after the frozen fish company Mrs. Paul's Kitchen acquired Arthur Treacher's, it sold it off to Lumara Foods of America in 1982, and the chain filed for bankruptcy two years later. What was once a major fast food company shrank to only 27 outlets by 2010, and, by 2021, the only real Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips remaining was the one in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. As it sat on the brink of oblivion, Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips waged an astonishing comeback. After hot dog company Nathan's Famous bought the fish joint in 2021, it made plans to restore Arthur Treacher's as a low-cost ghost kitchen concept. Meanwhile, the freestanding, full-service version of Arthur Treacher's is now three times its former size. The third store opened in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in April 2025. Once a family-owned seafood market in the Boston area that also sold fish and chips baskets, Legal Sea Foods has grown a lot since 1950. Eventually becoming a full-service, slightly upscale restaurant chain offering clams, oysters, lobster, and fried fish, as well as a seafood shipping operation, Legal Sea Foods grew to a modest but robust network of 35 restaurants by the late 2010s, raking in more than $240 million in annual sales. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, forcing the majority of public spaces, restaurants included, into temporary shutdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Casual eateries suffered massively in 2020, and by August of that year, multiple Legal Sea Foods outlets wound up closing down forever, reducing the chain to 31 entries. The post-pandemic economic climate wasn't much kinder to Legal Sea Foods. By early 2025, this number had decreased even further. But while some of its restaurants have shut down, Legal Sea Foods has also opened new locations. In July 2024, it debuted a large new spot on the Chicago Riverwalk as its flagship eatery. It is also rethinking other aspects of its operations under its owner, PPX Hospitality Brands, which took over in 2020. The parent company relocated the Legal Sea Foods corporate office after concluding that its current headquarters were outdated, as well as constructing a new innovation center in Milford, Massachusetts. After starting out as Mr. D's Seafood and Hamburgers in Donelson, Tennessee, in 1969, Captain D's Seafood became one of the biggest names in fast food fish, particularly in the South. By the mid-2000s, more than 600 Captain D's were in operation -- a number that quickly and severely declined in 2008. The chain's biggest franchisee at the time, Serve Holdings LLC, filed for bankruptcy. After struggling to pull in enough customers, the franchisee found itself in debt to Captain D's to the tune of six figures. Over the next decade and a half, more Captain D's restaurants continued to close. The operation consisted of just over 500 locations by 2024. These closures included its restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, plus a number of spots in Texas. Nevertheless, in 2025, Captain D's announced an assertive plan to expand, and into uncharted territory, too. Over the next two years, it will expand into Maryland with two new restaurants. It will also grow its footprint in Texas, with three new locations on the way, including one near San Antonio's Lackland Air Force Base. Captain D's corporate office is also on the lookout for franchisees who want to place restaurants in Canada, Central and Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and several countries in Asia. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout. 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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joey Fatone Teams Up with Red Lobster to Bring Back a Dose of '90s Nostalgia in New Commercial (Exclusive)
Joey Fatone is teaming up with Red Lobster to celebrate all things 1999 The *NSYNC star appears in a commercial celebrating Red Lobster's 3-Course Shrimp Sensation Fatone tells PEOPLE why the playful tone and delicious biscuits made the partnership a must Joey Fatone was a big deal in 1999, if he does say so himself. The *NSYNC star appears in a commercial with Red Lobster, where he celebrates how three courses for $19.99, the new 3-Course Shrimp Sensation, is also a big deal. Speaking with PEOPLE about the partnership, Fatone says it's all about "having fun." "I know that in many commercials that Red Lobster has done, they don't take themselves too, too seriously," Fatone tells PEOPLE. "I was a big deal in 1999, and the shrimp is a pretty big deal. It's something that's definitely affordable for families and stuff." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. He continued, "So I was like, 'You know what? This is something that's fun and exciting to do. Why not?' We tweaked the idea, working together to make it the best and funniest way possible. Classics are coming back, nostalgia's coming back, and the shrimp deal at Red Lobster is coming back." Fatone admits he had a second motivation to team up with Red Lobster — his love of the Cheddar Bay Biscuits. You can get unlimited Cheddar Bay Biscuits along with your choice of soup or salad, a shrimp appetizer, and a shrimp entrée as part of the 3-Course Shrimp Sensation. "I'm not going to lie, I mean, who doesn't love their cheddar biscuits? I'm a huge cheddar biscuit fan. If you want me to be real, I'm being real. So I was like, 'Does it come with free cheddar biscuits?' That's what I was asking," he laughs. Noting that "nostalgia is back" in a big way, Fatone says the look back at musical favorites like *NSYNC's 90s hits is similar to going back to an old favorite meal. "Music and food bring you back. Comfort food brings you back," he says. "People are looking back for more of the lighter times. [That's] not saying that this time is a dark and dreary time in the world, but the '90s were just a good, fun-loving [time] for music, for pop, [and now] for nostalgia." He continued, "I'm speaking for myself in the sense of as we get older, my generation, we want to connect to the things that were more simple in life and more fun. Now we're adults and doing adult things, where back in the day as a kid, it was a lot more free, a lot more easier." Read the original article on People
