Everybody loves a good comeback story, and Red Lobster’s is one of the greatest of all time. The fan-favorite seafood chain previously roiled by a series of sudden, mysterious closures and reports of a potential shutdown has made massive gains since initially filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy in May of last year. With the installation of Damola Adamolekun, a new, millennial CEO who understands the unique demands of Red Lobster’s target consumer, the brand has been able to reassert its status as the premier seafood restaurant chain fans have come to know and love, and it doesn’t seem like he has plans to slow down anytime soon.
From improvements to beverage and menu items, to the elimination of wasteful spending on things like “endless shrimp”, Damola seems to be steering the ship in the right direction—and fans are taking notice. The nearly $60 million dollar restructuring plan has only just started to come into focus, but with summer heating up, we’re starting to get a better glimpse of just how serious Red Lobster is about staying afloat, and their latest announcement is sending fans into a frenzy. Just in time for warmer weather, the beloved seafood chain announced the return of its annual Crabfest with the addition of a whopping 10 new items that fans hope stick around for good.
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After initially teasing big news a few days ago, the brand confirmed that in addition to bringing back Crabfest, you can now also pick up a slew of new menu items, including two flavorful seafood boils: the Mariner’s Boil and the Sailor’s Boil. The Mariner’s Boil will include a Maine lobster tail, a dozen shrimp, snow crab legs, corn, and tender red potatoes, while the Sailor’s Boil leaves out the lobster and crab in favor of juicy smoked sausage, shrimp, and the usual corn and red potatoes. You’ll also get to choose between three different seasoning combinations: roasted garlic butter, Cajun butter, or Old Bay Seasoning.
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If that’s not enough crab for you, you can also opt to enjoy Crab Your Way—one pound of crab legs tossed in your favorite seasoning, including the new Old Bay & Parmesan flavor. Still feeling shellfish? You can also snag the new Steak or Salmon Oscar, featuring one of the two proteins topped with lump crab meat in a creamy Oscar sauce, as well as follow it up with crab-topped asparagus, a crab-topped potato, or crab-stuffed mushrooms. It’s safe to say the new menu is a crab lover’s dream.
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Beyond just serving up delectable crab in all it’s forms, the chain is also launching new summer cocktails—the Starry Eyed Surprise, which features Patron Silver Tequila, guava, blue curacao and a splash of lemon-lime Starry; the Purple Haze which features Still G.I.N. by Dre and Snoop with desert pear, fresh lemonade, and gold shimmer; and the Passion Star Spritz which consists of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, passionfruit, and Wycliff Sparkling Wine.
As you can probably guess, fans’ reactions ranged from “Yummy 😋” to a resounding “eeeeeekkkkk!!!” Our sentiments exactly. It looks like Red Lobster is officially back.
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