For shrimp lovers, nothing beats the magic of Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp promotion. The chance to indulge in unlimited garlic shrimp scampi, crispy coconut shrimp, and more is a dream come true. But what exactly does this epic seafood offer include? I’m breaking down all the mouthwatering details on what comes with Endless Shrimp.
A Quick Explainer: What is Endless Shrimp?
For the uninitiated, Endless Shrimp is a limited-time deal Red Lobster offers annually. For a fixed price, you can order unlimited servings from a menu of 9 shrimp dishes. It’s only available for dine-in, and you can keep ordering more shrimp until you tap out.
Red Lobster first launched Endless Shrimp in the 1990s as a seasonal promotion. But it grew so popular that they now offer it yearly during summer and early fall. The 2023 dates spanned 6 weeks from September 5 to October 16.
The All-Important Endless Shrimp Menu
The star attraction of this seafood deal is obviously the shrimp itself Red Lobster pulls out all the stops, featuring 9 varieties of shrimp to satisfy any preference
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Garlic Shrimp Scampi Succulent shrimp baked in a garlic butter sauce
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Shrimp Linguini Alfredo Shrimp and linguini pasta in a creamy alfredo sauce
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Walt’s Favorite Shrimp: Crispy butterflied shrimp with cocktail sauce
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Hand-Breaded Shrimp: Golden fried classic breaded shrimp
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Parmesan Shrimp: Oven-broiled shrimp topped with Parmesan cheese
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Wood-Grilled Shrimp Skewers: Seasoned grilled shrimp skewers
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Shrimp Linguini in Lobster Sauce: Shrimp linguini in a rich lobster cream sauce
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Coconut Shrimp: Sweet coconut-breaded shrimp with a side of coconut sauce
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Shrimp Tacos: Spicy grilled shrimp tacos with shredded lettuce
The menu stays consistent each year, with the exception of one limited-edition seasonal shrimp flavor. Previous options have included chipotle bacon shrimp and Cajun grilled shrimp.
You can mix and match multiple shrimp dishes during each Endless Shrimp order. While selection varies by location, most restaurants let you choose 2-3 entrees per serving.
What Sides Come With Endless Shrimp?
Every Endless Shrimp order includes a side choice of either rice, broccoli, fries, or coleslaw. You can swap the side with each new shrimp order if you please.
Some Red Lobster locations may offer premium side upgrades for an additional charge, like garlic mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. But the basic side choices are included free of charge.
Don’t Forget the Cheddar Bay Biscuits!
No Red Lobster meal is complete without these addictive Cheddar Bay biscuits. You’ll get a piping hot batch of freshly baked biscuits with complementary honey butter on arrival.
More biscuits are served with each round of Endless Shrimp, so you’ll never go hungry. Just beware that they go down dangerously easily – you may fill up too fast!
Important Details & Restrictions
Before you grab your wet wipes and head to Red Lobster prepared to gorge, here are some key Endless Shrimp details to know:
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Dine-in only: You can’t order Endless Shrimp meals to-go. It’s only offered for dine-in customers.
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Evening hours: Most locations only offer Endless Shrimp during dinner hours after 4 pm. It’s not usually available for lunch.
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Weekends packed: Fridays and Saturdays draw huge crowds. For faster service, opt for weekdays if possible.
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Price varies: In 2023, the cost averaged $26 but some restaurants charged $24 or $28 based on location.
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No take-home: You can’t take leftover shrimp home. But you can order more than you can finish to stretch the value.
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Limited quantities: Supply shortages impacted the 2023 promotion. Don’t count on your fave shrimp dishes always being available.
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Fine print: Red Lobster reserves the right to cut off diners who abuse the promotion. Be reasonable with your refills.
Making the Most of Endless Shrimp
Want to maximize the Endless Shrimp experience? Here are my pro tips:
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Come starving and pace yourself. Don’t fill up on biscuits or apps.
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Start with lighter shrimp dishes like scampi or tacos before heavier sauced pastas.
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Alternate flavors and sauces with each order to avoid taste bud fatigue.
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During peak times, order just 1-2 dishes per round instead of maxing out at 3.
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Don’t be shy about ordering extra shrimp to take home. It makes awesome leftovers.
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Bring antacids. You know the risks involved. Come prepared just in case.
Is Endless Shrimp Worth It?
For shrimp enthusiasts, Endless Shrimp is 100% worth it. Let’s break down the math:
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Individual shrimp entrees cost $13-$20 each at Red Lobster
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You’d pay $78+ for just 4 of the Endless Shrimp dishes at regular price
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With Endless Shrimp, you can sample 4+ dishes per sitting for a flat $26
Even if you only finish 2 or 3 servings, you’re still saving big bucks compared to ordering shrimp dishes ala carte.
Budget-focused diners will enjoy mixing and matching their favorite shrimp dishes for one flat fee. And hungry seafood lovers can really take advantage by packing in the rounds of garlicky shrimp to their heart’s content!
Watch Out For Endless Shrimp Pitfalls
While Endless Shrimp may seem like a magical unlimited seafood utopia, overdoing it can have ugly consequences:
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Stomach aches, nausea, and indigestion from excessive greasy seafood
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Leftover waste from biting off more shrimp than you can chew
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Lengthy meal times if you order WAY more extra shrimp than needed
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Taking up a table for hours during busy dinner services
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Potential confrontations if wait staff cut you off for abusing the promotion
Sadly, Endless Shrimp has even made some gluttonous guests sick enough to vomit right at the table! Know your limits and don’t be “that guy” who ruins it for others.
Shrimp Fanatics Rejoice: Endless Shrimp Is Back!
After another long shrimp-less year, Endless Shrimp will soon return for its triumphant 2024 run from early September through October. I know where I’ll be on September 4 waiting eagerly for the doors to open!
True shrimp devotees plan vacations around this magical event. Don’t miss your chance to dive into unlimited grilled, fried and sauced shrimp galore. Just be sure to bring your appetite and some antacids, because this bottomless shrimp ride is not for the faint of heart. See ya there!
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.
Red Lobster Is Hemorrhaging Millions Because of Endless Shrimp | WSJ What Went Wrong
FAQ
How many sides do you get with endless shrimp?
How much did endless shrimp cost Red Lobster?
Did Red Lobster lose money on Endless shrimp?
What is Red Lobster crispy dragon shrimp?
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.
Does Red Lobster have unlimited shrimp?
Red Lobster has — per a press release — officially brought unlimited shrimp to its permanent menu. Now, you can have a shrimp-eating competition any time of the year. Ultimate Endless Shrimp is a fan-fave promotion that Red Lobster has typically brought back, year after year, for a select period of time.
Does Red Lobster have fried shrimp?
Each Ultimate Endless Shrimp meal comes with, of course, Red Lobster’s classic Cheddar Bay Biscuit and another side. Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp: fried, hand-dipped, and tossed in flaky coconut with a signature piña colada sauce Walt’s Favorite Shrimp: lightly fried, hand-breaded, and butterflied with cocktail sauce
Is Red Lobster ® ultimate endless shrimp SM coming back?
ORLANDO, Fla., June 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Red Lobster ® is kicking off summer with an announcement that is sure to excite shrimp lovers everywhere – guest-favorite Ultimate Endless Shrimp℠ is here to stay! Gone are the days of anxiously awaiting the return of Ultimate Endless Shrimp℠.