The return of Red Lobster’s “Endless Shrimp” promotion has seafood lovers salivating, however it may go away a nasty style within the mouth of the kitchen and wait workers, former servers advised Enterprise Insider.
“It is the time when probably the most workers quits,” mentioned Saul Eugene, who labored on the chain in 2019 and 2020. In the course of the promotion, Eugene mentioned that diners would “sit there and eat shrimp for 2 and a half hours,” turning what needs to be a regular order into “basically a 22-course meal” with out a larger invoice to match.
The consequence for workers: extra work for much less pay — a criticism that ricocheted throughout social media after Red Lobster introduced a restricted return of the all-you-can-eat shrimpfest on Monday.
“You make much less cash for twice as a lot work,” Eugene mentioned, calling the expertise “hell for servers.”
Ryan Spalding, who worked at Red Lobster within the late 2000s, mentioned clients would “sport the system,” ordering refill after refill, lingering at tables, and making an attempt to take meals dwelling towards the principles. He mentioned the particular — then $20 — usually drew in individuals who weren’t going to tip and would attempt to share meals, not the form of repeat clients the chain or its workers needed.
🦐 Simply heard the information that Limitless Shrimp began immediately at @redlobster. I pray for the soul of each worker that should undergo by way of the diseased abomination that’s limitless shrimp. I served at Pink Lobster for about 7 years, and due to limitless shrimp I swore to myself I…
— Lee Fishman (@TheLeeFishman) April 20, 2026
Certainly, when Pink Lobster made the intermittent promotion a everlasting a part of the menu a number of years in the past, the chain mentioned it price $11 million in losses in three months.
CEO Damola Adamolekun, who’s spearheading Red Lobster’s comeback after its chapter, testily advised Enterprise Insider final 12 months that he had “no plans” to revisit the promotion.
Adamolekun mentioned this week that buyer clamor for shrimp, shrimp, and extra shrimp led him to reverse course and produce it again for an unspecified restricted time. It is out there for dine-in patrons solely, with eating places charging between $24.99 and $29.99 for limitless quantities of 5 dishes.
Representatives for Pink Lobster didn’t reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider about workers response to the promotion.
A former senior communications govt on the firm advised Enterprise Insider the promotion misplaced what as soon as made it highly effective: its rarity. “Limitless Shrimp” was “iconic” as a result of it got here round yearly, creating anticipation and pleasure. Over time, she mentioned, the corporate leaned on it increasingly more to drive visitors.
“It grew to become a one-trick pony,” she mentioned. “As quickly because the enterprise began to waver, or as quickly as they wanted to drive visitor depend actually, actually rapidly and get some income into the eating places, they turned on ‘Limitless Shrimp.'”
That stress between what clients love and what workers are requested to endure has at all times been baked into the cut price.
“In the event you’re prioritizing your company, they at all times love ‘Endless Shrimp,'” the previous govt mentioned of her expertise with the promotion. “In the event you’re prioritizing your workers, you’ll by no means do ‘Limitless Shrimp.'”
Paula Lobo/American Broadcasting Corporations, Inc. by way of Getty Photos
Ex-servers mentioned the downsides have been palpable. Eugene mentioned his tip proportion dropped “about 3 or 4 %” throughout Limitless Shrimp season, even because the job grew to become way more demanding.
“You are already getting stiffed in your labor, then you definately’re additionally getting decrease tip percentages,” he mentioned. “It is demoralizing, and since it is so demoralizing, it makes individuals stop the job. Those that do keep are those that need to be there to pay their payments, and so they’re simply getting screwed left and proper — like, it’s as removed from worker-friendly a coverage as you will be.”
As a result of the deal inspired quantity, it modified the restaurant’s rhythm. As a substitute of turning over tables with new clients ordering full meals, servers have been working plate after plate of shrimp for a similar company.
Pink Lobster’s comeback bid
At a company stage, although, Limitless Shrimp was seen as a visitors driver — even when it stopped working as meant.
The previous Pink Lobster govt mentioned the promotion was initially designed to get individuals within the door, however not essentially to order shrimp. Advertising and marketing would “shout from the rooftops” about “Limitless Shrimp,” however contained in the restaurant, it was barely highlighted, nudging diners towards higher-margin objects as an alternative, she mentioned.
Now, she mentioned, the deal is “massive and daring” throughout menus and advertising, she mentioned — which may encourage clients to commerce down from pricier dishes like lobster.
She famous the promotion has been introduced again proper earlier than the same old finish of the corporate’s fiscal 12 months, which concludes in Could, and in the course of its Lobsterfest promotion, throughout which it has introduced in as a lot as 70% of its income.
Many chains supply “bottomless” promotions. Pink Lobster’s grew to become unprofitable, she mentioned, due to choices behind the scenes. After the seafood producer Thai Union acquired the chain in October 2016, Pink Lobster was required to purchase shrimp from its mother or father firm at above-market costs, stripping away its means to barter costs. On the identical time, the corporate elevated the scale of its shrimp, though the promotion had at all times been constructed round quantity.
“The mixture of getting to buy it from a provider who was additionally your proprietor, and thus charging you extra money than try to be, with its want to additionally enhance the scale of the shrimp for a promotion that wasn’t really about dimension in any respect, actually was a lethal mixture,” she mentioned.
Enterprise Insider reported in Could 2024 that Pink Lobster’s then-CEO, Jonathan Tibus, questioned the corporate’s buying processes, together with from its proprietor, Thai Union, saying that the promotion strained the supply chain and brought on tens of millions of {dollars} in losses.
“Limitless Shrimp” grew to become shorthand for extra — and for a enterprise mannequin that wasn’t working.
Its revival might ship a short-term bump. For the individuals who as soon as labored the ground, it is only a unhealthy reminiscence.
“I simply really feel unhealthy for all of the workers there,” Eugene, the previous server, mentioned.
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