Red Lobster’s wildly popular Endless Shrimp promotion has become a beloved annual tradition for seafood lovers. But how exactly does this all-you-can-eat shrimp offering work? Let’s break it all down.
The History of Endless Shrimp
Red Lobster first introduced Endless Shrimp back in the 1990s as a limited-time promotion. It was an instant hit thanks to the ability to enjoy unlimited shrimp at a great value.
Originally Endless Shrimp was only available for a few weeks each year, typically in late summer. Fans eagerly anticipated its return every year.
In 2023, Red Lobster announced Endless Shrimp would become available year-round, all day every day. No more waiting for its limited-time return!
What is Included in Endless Shrimp?
The Endless Shrimp menu features a mix-and-match option for $25
You start by choosing any two shrimp entrees below:
- Garlic Shrimp Scampi
- Walt’s Favorite Shrimp
- Shrimp Linguini Alfredo
- Crispy Sea Salt & Vinegar Shrimp
- Coconut Shrimp
- Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewer
After finishing your first two shrimp dishes, you can order additional shrimp dishes continuously and repeatedly until satisfied.
Each Endless Shrimp order also includes one side dish and Cheddar Bay Biscuits
How Does the Unlimited Refills Work?
Once you finish your initial 2 shrimp entrees, you can order more shrimp dishes over and over again. Servers will keep bringing additional shrimp plates until you decide you are full.
There is no limit to how many total shrimp entrees you can consume during a single visit. The only rule is that you can have just 3 shrimp entrees on your table at a time.
Once you polish off your current plates, your server will return to take your next round of Endless Shrimp orders. Rinse and repeat!
Strategies to Maximize Endless Shrimp
Here are some tips to help you make the most of the unlimited refills while avoiding waste:
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Start slow – Order 1 new entree at a time until you gauge your appetite. No need to rush and overload your table right away.
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Take breaks – Endless Shrimp can last a while, so feel free to take pauses and sip your drink between rounds.
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Focus on favorites – Order additional helpings of the shrimp dishes you liked best. Skip ones that didn’t suit your tastes after the initial sampler.
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Watch portions – Resist the urge to overload plates with more shrimp than you can finish. Take just what you think you can handle per round.
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Take home leftovers – You can order extra shrimp toward the end of your meal to take home.
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Bring a buddy – Having a partner in shrimp crime lets you sample more dishes and rally each other on.
How Long Can I Enjoy Endless Shrimp?
You can keep ordering and eating unlimited shrimp for as long as you wish throughout a single visit. Servers will keep the shrimp coming continuously until you decide you are finished.
If you want to indulge for hours, that is perfectly fine! Just note Endless Shrimp is only valid for one sitting – you can’t stop eating, leave, and then return to resume.
Once your current restaurant visit ends, so does your Endless Shrimp eligibility. But you can always come back another time!
What If My Table Doesn’t Finish All the Shrimp?
You are free to order shrimp continuously to your heart’s content. But to avoid food waste, only order what you can realistically eat.
Leftover shrimp from unfinished plates cannot be packaged to take home or kept for future visits. So be reasonable with each round of orders.
The server may check in about your interest in ordering more shrimp if they notice you struggling to finish rounds. This helps prevent excessive wasted food.
The goal is to indulge in unlimited shrimp, not accumulate a towering stockpile of leftovers!
Can I Get Endless Shrimp To-Go?
The unlimited Endless Shrimp offer is valid for dine-in customers only.
Takeout, call-ahead, delivery, and catering orders are excluded from refilling shrimp endlessly.
Red Lobster intends for the promotion to enhance the dine-in experience, not result in massive to-go hauls.
However, you can order extra shrimp toward the end of your dine-in meal to take home in a to-go bag. Just specify the additional orders are to-go.
How Much Does Endless Shrimp Cost?
The all-you-can-eat Endless Shrimp offer is $25 per person. Children’s pricing may be lower based on age.
This covers unlimited refills of shrimp, 1 side dish, and Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
Additional costs come from beverages, appetizers, desserts, etc. But the $25 per person charge remains constant no matter how much shrimp you consume.
Compared to ordering multiple shrimp entrees individually, Endless Shrimp offers excellent value – especially for truly ravenous shrimp fans!
Can I Use Deals and Discounts?
Yes, you can take advantage of various deals and discounts in conjunction with Endless Shrimp:
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Red Lobster’s Daily Deals often include $5 or $10 off Endless Shrimp.
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Joining the My Red Lobster Rewards program earns you points and special offers.
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Limited Time Offers will sometimes include Endless Shrimp at a discount.
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Specials like Military and Teacher Appreciation offer % discounts.
Just inform your server you have a deal before placing your Endless Shrimp order.
Enjoy Endless Shrimp Your Way
Now you have all the details on how you can indulge in unlimited shrimp at Red Lobster! Take advantage of this incredibly popular promotion to get your fill of crispy fried, saucy scampi, coconut, grilled, or any other shrimp dish you crave.
The magic of Endless Shrimp is being able to customize the experience to your tastes. Order conservatively or go crazy – either way, the refills don’t end until you say so!
Why is Red Lobster’s deal causing problems?
The popularity of the “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” exceeded the company’s expectations, contributing to the aforementioned financial setback. The promotion did successfully bring in more customers—by 2% compared to the previous quarter and by 4% compared to the previous year—but more customers than expected chose to take advantage of the deal. Thai Union’s chief financial officer, Ludovic Garnier, admitted that the $20 price point wasn’t making money for the business. The company had to make changes because of the unexpected success. So how would they adapt?.
Because they are having trouble making ends meet, Red Lobster has slowly raised the price of the deal, first to $22 and now to $25. Garnier emphasized the importance of carefully determining the entry and price points for promotions to ensure sustainable profitability.
With news that the shrimp scheme has been too popular that it has eaten into company profits, we check out what the fuss is all about.
Red Lobster’s famous “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” deal, which has been going on for more than 18 years, became a permanent part of the menu this summer as part of the company’s overall plan. Thai Union, which owns Red Lobster, started the promotion so that restaurants would get more customers during slower times of the year. For a fixed price of $20, customers could eat as much shrimp as they wanted.
“We knew it was time to make this guest favorite available all day, every day because we know how much our guests love and look forward to the return of Ultimate Endless Shrimp every year,” the company’s CMO, Patty Trevino, said in June. “And this is just the beginning. ”.
Great idea, right? Well, sometimes great ideas can backfire.
The “success” of the promotion has brought about problems that were not expected. It is thought that this is why Red Lobster lost about $11 million in the third quarter of 2023.
My entry to the above challenge:
Look! We got endless, shrimp delight
Seafood dreams, every night
Cheddar Bay bliss. No empty plates.
The Truth About Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp
How does Red Lobster’s endless shrimp promotion work?
Here‘s a quick rundown of how Red Lobster‘s Endless Shrimp promotion works: You pay a fixed price that covers your meal, including shrimp and sides. The price is often $17.99 – $24.99 depending on location. You‘ll get unlimited plates of grilled, fried, or sauteed shrimp prepared in different styles.
Why did Red Lobster raise the price of the ‘ultimate endless shrimp’ deal?
Red Lobster has since raised the price of the deal to $25. The “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” deal reeled in too many hungry customers at Red Lobster and now the company is turning the tide after reporting millions in operating losses.
What is Red Lobster’s ultimate endless shrimp?
The conceit of Ultimate Endless Shrimp is fairly simple: For a flat fee of $25 per person — at the time of publication and up from its original price of $20 — you can eat as much shrimp as your crustacean-loving heart desires.
Is endless shrimp at Red Lobster a national holiday?
Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster should be considered a national holiday. If you’ve never been to this glorious celebration of crustacean gluttony, you better run over to one right now. It’s $15.99 for all you can eat. No strings attached. One or 100. It’ll be over on November 18, so you don’t have too much time left. Live your life to the fullest.