Does Red Lobster Use Real Butter? Getting to the Bottom of This Debate

As one of the largest full-service restaurant chains in the world Red Lobster is synonymous with seafood especially their famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits. But there has been an ongoing debate around whether the restaurant uses real butter in their recipes or relies on substitutes. In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the evidence to try and get a definitive answer.

The Importance of Butter at Red Lobster

Butter plays a crucial role in the Red Lobster dining experience. From dunking your seafood in melted butter to slathering it on their famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits, it adds a rich, indulgent flavor. The restaurant proudly advertises that they go through over 1 million lbs of butter every year.

Butter is especially important for

• Cheddar Bay Biscuits – The warm, fluffy biscuits are served with whipped butter topped with garlic and parsley. The butter provides a rich contrast to the sharp cheddar flavor.

• Seafood – Steamed lobster, crab legs, shrimp, and other seafood selections are traditionally served with melted butter for dipping. It helps enhance the natural sweetness of the seafood

• Pastas and Sides – Butter is used to finish off dishes like lobster mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables.

So real butter would seem to be an essential ingredient in Red Lobster’s kitchens, or is it?

The Case for Butter Substitutes

Several factors suggest that Red Lobster may use butter substitutes, at least in part:

• Cost Savings – Real butter is expensive, especially for supply chains of Red Lobster’s scale. Margarine, butter blends, or oil-based substitutes would provide significant cost savings.

• Consistent Results – Real butter is temperamental and sensitive to variables like batch differences, shipment conditions, etc. Substitutes provide more consistent, reliable results.

• Health Trends – With many consumers reducing fat/dairy intake, non-dairy butter alternatives allow the restaurant to cater to diverse preferences.

• Shelf Life – Real butter has a far shorter shelf life, whereas products like margarine have a longer lifespan in storage.

However, the use of substitutes would seem at odds with Red Lobster’s marketing and reputation for indulgence.

Clues Pointing to Real Butter

On the other side, there are several indications that real butter is used in Red Lobster recipes:

• Website Language – Their site refers frequently to real butter in their cooking methods, never using terms associated with substitutes.

• Suppliers – Red Lobster partners with dairy suppliers like Land O’Lakes which produce real butter at the commercial scale they require.

• Tester Reviews – Many professional food testers and reviewers consistently note the prominent taste of real butter in dishes.

• Social Media – The restaurant’s social accounts proudly show photos of real butter being used in cooking demonstrations.

The Verdict

Given the evidence, it seems likely that Red Lobster uses real butter as their primary ingredient but may supplement with some substitutes at times. The quantities they operate at make relying solely on real butter impractical and cost-prohibitive. The language they use also indicates it is not exclusively real butter.

However, the taste of real dairy butter is central to their brand and they know customers would reject anything less during in-restaurant dining. For take-home grocery products like the biscuit mix, more substitutes are likely used.

So while your seafood and hot biscuits at a Red Lobster restaurant are almost certainly made with real butter, they likely have some margarine, oil blends, and other cost-saving substitutes in the mix behind the scenes as well. But those Cheddar Bay Biscuits still taste pretty amazing with whatever butter blend they are using!