Red Lobster is having trouble and is closing up to 135 more US restaurants. People all over the country are losing cheddar bay biscuits and all-you-can-eat seafood deals.
Black customers formed a loyal base for the brand and still make up a larger share of customers than at other major casual chain restaurants, according to historians, customers, and former Red Lobster executives. The company’s decline is especially sad for these customers.
“Red Lobster cultivated Black customers. It has not shied away from that customer base like some brands have,” Clarence Otis Jr. told CNN that he was CEO of Darden Restaurants from 2004 to 2014, when the company still owned the chain.
Mardeio Cannon, a columnist for the Sacramento Observer, wrote that it was “only fitting” that Red Lobster had a Black CEO because “if there is any restaurant in America that most African Americans love, it’s Red Lobster.” ”.
During a presentation to investors in 2015, Red Lobster said that 26% of its customers were Black, which is two percentage points more than the Black population proportion in the US. Red Lobster did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on current customer demographics.
From its start in the South in the late 1960s, the chain hired black people and served black customers. Black celebrities like Chris Rock and Nicki Minaj worked there before they were famous. Minej later joked with Jimmy Fallon over “Lobsterita” drinks and cheddar bay biscuits that she had been fired from “all three or four” of the Red Lobsters where she had worked. Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Formation,” which talks about police brutality, Hurricane Katrina, and Black culture in America, also has a line about taking a date to Red Lobster.
Professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America,” Marcia Chatelain said that during the 1970s and 1980s, both working-class and wealthy Black people went to Red Lobster. This was at a time when many sit-down restaurants were not welcoming of Black customers.
Red Lobster’s early locations near shopping malls also helped it grow with Black customers, she said.
“Putting Red Lobster stores near shopping malls happened at the same time that African Americans had more shopping options after the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” she wrote in an email. “This type of restaurant was appealing to people who wanted a fine dining experience but didn’t want to worry about how they would be treated at local businesses.” ”.
Founded by Bill Darden, Red Lobster was racially integrated when it opened in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida.
Not hiring and helping Black people wasn’t a big deal for Darden, and he wasn’t the first person to see it as a chance. But it was another marker of racial progress for Black people in Lakeland and the changing South. In Lakeland in the early 1960s, civil rights activists picketed stores and movie theaters that wouldn’t let Black people in, forcing them to integrate.
Even though Red Lobster opened four years after the Civil Rights Act required public places to stop being segregated, many schools and businesses were still divided along racial lines. Some closed rather than integrate.
Beverly Boatwright, who was involved in the sit-in movement in Lakeland while going to an all-black high school, said that Red Lobster was “always very open and receptive to us.” Her mother was a leader in the local NAACP branch. “We never had a problem at Red Lobster. There were other places where we did have struggles” in the city.
But Black people in Lakeland didn’t always like Red Lobster, and the story of Darden as a civil rights leader that has grown over the past few years isn’t as true as it seems.
Harold Dwight, who graduated two years after Boatwright in 1968, said that Red Lobster wasn’t a place that “we went to a lot” in its early years. Most Black residents did not have the means to go out to eat, Dwight said. There were places run by Black people that they went to, as well as Morrison’s Cafeteria, the biggest cafeteria chain in the South, which had been integrated for a while and had more Black employees.
Darden’s first restaurant, the Green Frog, which opened in Waycross, Georgia, in 1938, is said to have been desegregated. A number of articles have praised Darden as a “social crusader” who “stood up to Jim Crow” and “defied” segregation laws. The company website for Darden Restaurants talks about the Green Frog and says that the restaurant’s founder “welcomed all guests to his tables.” ”.
But Black people who grew up in Waycross and remember the Green Frog, which closed in the 1980s, say that Black people were not welcome to eat there at first.
John Fluker, who used to be mayor of Waycross, said that Black people worked in the kitchen but were not welcome at the Green Frog.
The Green Frog reflected the racial norms of the time in south Georgia, said Waycross resident Horace Thomas.
Even though Black people didn’t go to Red Lobster right away, the chain slowly gained Black customers as it grew in the South and across the country.
Historians and former executives say that Red Lobster became known for being welcoming and friendly to Black customers in part because it hired Black staff when a new restaurant opened. The company later created marketing plans to attract Black customers.
Walter King was hired by Red Lobster in 1971 to run a restaurant. He was one of the first Black people to work for the company and stayed with it for 36 years. Red Lobster later named one of its signature dishes after King: “Walt’s Favorite Shrimp. ” King died last year.
“They’ve been loyal to us and we’ve been loyal to them,” Beverly Boatwright said. “We went there because the food was delicious. It was the only place you could get good seafood. It was a luxury. ”.
Professor of sociology at Wesleyan University Robyn Autry says that outdoor fish fries with catfish, crawfish, and other seafood have been a popular tradition in Black communities. Autry studies race and recently wrote about how Red Lobster’s demise “hits differently” for Black communities.
Red Lobster brought the “outdoor fried fish experience” indoors, Autry said. For many Black people, going from fish fries outside to sitting down with menus and being served became a sign of social status. ” Ad Feedback Ad Feedback.
The Origins of Red Lobster: A Tale of Two Restauranteurs
Red Lobster is one of America’s most iconic restaurant chains synonymous with indulgent seafood dining and warm hospitality. But how did this ubiquitous brand come to be? The story of Red Lobster’s founding is an intriguing one rooted in creativity, ambition, and fateful partnership.
In the mid-1960s, Bill Darden was a successful restauranteur operating a handful of eateries in Florida. Bill had a keen instinct for the restaurant business, having grown up washing dishes in his family’s diner. He dreamed of creating an accessible and affordable seafood restaurant that would bring high-quality dining to the masses.
Around this time, Bill met Charley Woodsby, a young entrepreneur with bold ideas. Charley had experience managing Howard Johnson locations and wanted to break out on his own in the emerging casual dining space. He shared Bill’s vision of launching an approachable seafood restaurant.
Bill and Charley’s complementary skill sets made them natural partners. While Bill brought hospitality acumen and operational know-how, Charley offered business savvy and growth ambitions. Together they created a concept for a chain of seafood restaurants serving up affordable lobster, fish, shrimp and more.
In January 1968, Bill and Charley opened the very first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Florida. They dubbed it a “Harbor for Seafood Lovers”, evoking warmth and generosity. The eatery was an immediate hit thanks to its crisp nautical decor and hearty, well-prepared seafood dishes at reasonable prices Lines stretched out the door from the day it opened
Bolstered by the Lakeland location’s success, Bill and Charley quickly opened 4 more Red Lobster outposts across the Southeast throughout 1968 and 1969. However, they lacked the capital to expand rapidly on their own. In 1970, national restaurant corporation General Mills acquired the 5-unit Red Lobster chain and brought the financial resources to spur major growth.
Under General Mills’ ownership, Red Lobster exploded from a handful of Florida spots into a national phenomenon throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Creative marketing campaigns established Red Lobster as America’s go-to spot for casual seafood dining. Memorable slogans like “Red Lobster for Seafood Lovers” cemented the brand in the public imagination.
Red Lobster’s growth was meteoric under General Mills’ stewardship. By 1980, there were over 400 locations flourishing across the United States and Canada. Throughout the 1980s, new restaurant openings continued at a breakneck pace, along with menu innovation and remodels. Red Lobster had become the largest seafood restaurant company in the world.
In 1994, Bill Darden passed away at age 75. But the beloved brand he helped conceive continued to thrive. In 2014, after 44 years of growth under General Mills and then Darden Restaurants, Red Lobster was acquired by Golden Gate Capital and became an independent company again. Today it operates over 700 restaurants globally.
Red Lobster’s longevity is a testament to Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby’s visionary partnership back in 1968. They recognized an opportunity to bring high-quality seafood dining to the masses. Bill’s hospitality nous and Charley’s business acumen were the perfect combination to make their ambitious dreams a reality.
More than 50 years later, Red Lobster remains a beloved American dining tradition, now serving over 1 million biscuits daily! As we crack open fresh lobster claws and dip fluffy biscuits in melted butter, we have Bill and Charley to thank for bringing the joy of seafood dining into our lives. Red Lobster’s founders may be gone, but their legacy sails on.
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Fear & Greed Index
Red Lobster is having trouble and is closing up to 135 more US restaurants. People all over the country are losing cheddar bay biscuits and all-you-can-eat seafood deals.
Black customers formed a loyal base for the brand and still make up a larger share of customers than at other major casual chain restaurants, according to historians, customers, and former Red Lobster executives. The company’s decline is especially sad for these customers.
“Red Lobster cultivated Black customers. It has not shied away from that customer base like some brands have,” Clarence Otis Jr. told CNN that he was CEO of Darden Restaurants from 2004 to 2014, when the company still owned the chain.
Mardeio Cannon, a columnist for the Sacramento Observer, wrote that it was “only fitting” that Red Lobster had a Black CEO because “if there is any restaurant in America that most African Americans love, it’s Red Lobster.” ”.
During a presentation to investors in 2015, Red Lobster said that 26% of its customers were Black, which is two percentage points more than the Black population proportion in the US. Red Lobster did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on current customer demographics.
The chain hired Black workers and served Black guests from its beginnings in the South in the late 1960s, and Black celebrities such as Chris Rock and Nicki Minaj worked there before they became famous. (Minaj later joked about being fired from “all three or four” of the Red Lobsters where she worked over “Lobsterita” drinks and cheddar bay biscuits with Jimmy Fallon.) And Beyoncé sang about taking a romantic partner to Red Lobster in her 2016 song “Formation,” which addresses police brutality, Hurricane Katrina and Black culture in America.
Professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America,” Marcia Chatelain said that during the 1970s and 1980s, both working-class and wealthy Black people went to Red Lobster. This was at a time when many sit-down restaurants were not welcoming of Black customers.
Red Lobster’s early locations near shopping malls also helped it grow with Black customers, she said.
“Putting Red Lobster stores near shopping malls happened at the same time that African Americans had more shopping options after the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” she wrote in an email. “This type of restaurant was appealing to people who wanted a fine dining experience but didn’t want to worry about how they would be treated at local businesses.” ”.
Founded by Bill Darden, Red Lobster was racially integrated when it opened in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida.
Hiring and serving Black people was not a revolutionary step by Darden, and he certainly was far from the first to leap at the opportunity. But it was another marker of racial progress for Black people in Lakeland and the changing South. In Lakeland during the early 1960s, local civil rights activists picketed businesses and movie theaters that denied entry to Black patrons, forcing them to integrate.
Even though Red Lobster opened four years after the Civil Rights Act required public places to stop being segregated, many schools and businesses were still divided along racial lines. Some closed rather than integrate.
Red Lobster was “always very open and receptive to us,” said Beverly Boatwright, who was active in the sit-in movement in Lakeland while attending the all-Black high school, along with her mother, a leader in the local branch of the NAACP. “We never had a problem at Red Lobster. There were other places where we did have struggles” in the city.
But Red Lobster was not immediately a popular spot with Black customers in Lakeland, and the mythology of Darden as a civil rights pioneer that has grown in recent years has been overstated.
Harold Dwight, who graduated two years after Boatwright in 1968, said that Red Lobster wasn’t a place that “we went to a lot” in its early years. Most Black residents did not have the means to go out to eat, Dwight said. There were places run by Black people that they went to, as well as Morrison’s Cafeteria, the biggest cafeteria chain in the South, which had been integrated for a while and had more Black employees.
In corporate lore, Darden’s first restaurant, the Green Frog —which opened in 1938 in Waycross, Georgia — was desegregated. Darden has been lauded in various articles as a “social crusader” “who [stood] up to Jim Crow” in “defiance” of segregation laws. On Darden Restaurants’ corporate website, the company mentions the Green Frog and says its founder “welcomed all guests to his tables.”
But Black people who grew up in Waycross and remember the Green Frog, which closed in the 1980s, say that Black people were not welcome to eat there at first.
John Fluker, who used to be mayor of Waycross, said that Black people worked in the kitchen but were not welcome at the Green Frog.
The Green Frog reflected the racial norms of the time in south Georgia, said Waycross resident Horace Thomas.
“They didn’t open the doors for Black people,” he said. “Everybody was like that.”
Even though Black people didn’t go to Red Lobster right away, the chain slowly gained Black customers as it grew in the South and across the country.
Historians and former executives say that Red Lobster became known for being welcoming and friendly to Black customers in part because it hired Black staff when a new restaurant opened. The company later created marketing plans to attract Black customers.
Walter King was hired by Red Lobster in 1971 to run a restaurant. He was one of the first Black people to work for the company and stayed with it for 36 years. Red Lobster later named one of its signature dishes after King: “Walt’s Favorite Shrimp. ” King died last year.
“They’ve been loyal to us and we’ve been loyal to them,” Beverly Boatwright said. “We went there because the food was delicious. It was the only place you could get good seafood. It was a luxury. ”.
Red Lobster’s cuisine was also a major part of its popularity with Black diners.
Outdoor fish fries with catfish, crawfish and other seafood have served as a popular tradition in Black communities, said Robyn Autry, a sociology professor at Wesleyan University who studies race and wrote recently on how Red Lobster’s downfall “hits differently” for Black communities.
Red Lobster brought the “outdoor fried fish experience” indoors, Autry said. For many Black people, going from fish fries outside to sitting down with menus and being served became a sign of social status. ” Ad Feedback Ad Feedback.
Red Lobster – The Fantastic Story
Who founded Red Lobster?
Red Lobster, the popular seafood restaurant chain known for its mouthwatering dishes and casual dining experience, was founded by entrepreneurs Bill Darden and Charley Woodsby. These two visionaries joined forces to create a restaurant that would showcase their love for seafood and provide a relaxed setting for customers to enjoy delicious meals.
Who opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland?
After running numerous restaurants in Florida, Darden opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland in 1968. He was inspired by the success of an Orlando seafood restaurant, Gary’s Duck Inn, which he bought with some partners in 1963.
When did Red Lobster become a chain?
Under General Mills’ ownership, Red Lobster expanded into a chain of almost 400 locations by 1985. The company underwent several restructurings and transformed itself from an inexpensive fast-food seller into a chain of casual dining seafood restaurants by 1988.
How many Red Lobster restaurants are there?
Under that agreement, General Mills hired Darden to run the restaurants and established a restaurant division in Orlando. Red Lobster has since become the world’s largest dinner-house chain, with 614 restaurants in the United States and dozens more in Canada and Japan.