10 Red Lobster Dining Mistakes You're Probably Making

Since Bill Darden opened the first Red Lobster in 1968, the brand has become an integral part of America's national dining scene. During this time, the chain has gained a reputation for its consistency, affordable prices, and good quality food. These characteristics have proved a solid foundation for the business. Today, the brand boasts 700 locations and nearly 60,000 employees.

Red Lobster is so well-known in the United States that it has become a part of popular culture. This was confirmed when Beyoncé famously referenced Red Lobster in her 2016 song "Formation." While Queen B gave the restaurant brand her seal of approval, she did not find the time to discuss the varying merits of dining there. This is a pity given that huge swathes of Red Lobster's clientele are failing to make the most of the brand's deals, changing menu, and specific quirks. While not terrible, these dining mistakes undoubtedly mean that many people do not get as much as they could from the Red Lobster dining experience. In an effort to right that wrong, here are 10 Red Lobster mistakes you're probably making.

Red Lobster runs a deal every day of the working week. Currently, the brand's daily deals include a $20 lobster and shrimp scampi plate served on Mondays while Friday boasts a $15 fish and chips made with wild-caught cod. Other deals include indulgent ingredients, such as snow crab legs, sirloin steak, and sea scallops, all sold at bargain prices.

What constitutes the best of these deals depends on personal preference. This makes it all the more important that those planning to visit Red Lobster during the week check the daily deal suits them best and then book accordingly. Of course, this will not always be possible; many of us dine out on a whim. But for those who are pre-planning it seems absurd to not take advantage of these deals and their associated savings. After all, why pay $33.99 for a pound of snow crab legs on a Wednesday when you can get exactly the same meal for $20 a day earlier?

Red Lobster is both named and known for its seafood. However, this does not mean that seafood is a customer's only choice. In fact, Red Lobster also serves a variety of meat-based dishes. Most prominent of these is the brand's selection of steaks: a 7-ounce sirloin, a 12 ounce New York strip, and a 6-ounce filet mignon. Each of these steaks can be cooked to customer specifications and are served with two sides. The restaurant brand also serves several other meat-centric entrées including glazed chicken breasts and a cheeseburger.

Interestingly, Red Lobster offers far fewer options that are suitable for vegetarians. In terms of entrées, only the Classic Caesar Salad is served without meat or seafood. When it comes to sides there are significantly more options including broccoli, rice, french fries, and coleslaw. Meat eaters will undoubtedly be drawn to a side order of the brand's Bacon Mac & Cheese. All of these dishes highlight that although prominent, seafood is not a customer's only choice at Red Lobster.

As a relatively affordable chain it is easy to assume that Red Lobster is cutting corners when it comes to sourcing its seafood. The brand, however, vehemently denies this and highlights its sourcing practices on its website. Here, Red Lobster states the three pillars of its seafood sourcing: traceability, sustainability, and responsibility. Lobsters, for example, are wild-caught and purchased from fishermen that have long standing relationships with the restaurant brand. What's more, the fishermen only catch lobster that fall within minimum and maximum size limits, ensuring they have an opportunity to reproduce, negating the risk of population crashes.

Red Lobster has also partnered with the World Wildlife Fund in an effort to improve the sustainability of Caribbean spiny lobster fisheries. During their collaboration, a fishery in the Bahamas became the first to receive certification from the Marine Stewardship Council. Kim Lopdrup, CEO of Red Lobster said to WWF: "The success seen in The Bahamas is very exciting and presents a great opportunity to further engage and drive positive change across all spiny lobster fisheries."

However, Red Lobster's seafood sourcing is not without controversy. The brand is currently undergoing a class-action lawsuit that alleges some of the restaurant's seafood is not as sustainable as its marketed to be.

My Red Lobster Rewards was launched in October 2017. As the name suggests, this app is designed to reward those who frequent Red Lobster regularly. It is quite simple in how it works: For every $1 paid, customers receive one point. Once customers have collected 125 points they can redeem one of three awards. Using My Red Lobster Rewards also carries further benefits including the ability to gain bonus points, exclusive access to promotions, and even coupons.

There are three tiers to the My Red Lobster Rewards app: red, gold, and platinum. Red members simply need to enroll to have access to special offers and coupons. Gold is reserved for those individuals who complete their profile; doing so gives them access to many further benefits including the one point per dollar reward scheme and a free reward on their birthday. Platinum members — any gold members who earn 300 points per year — gain access to a free dessert and double points on take out orders.

With such consistent and accessible awards offered through the My Red Lobster Awards app, even those who dine infrequently at Red Lobster stand to gain a lot. In short, it's a mistake to dine at Red Lobster and not use the app.

As with many chain restaurants, some of the dishes served at Red Lobster are unhealthy. Take, for example, the brand's Crispy Lobster and Shrimp Stack. This dish consists of lobster tail meat served alongside fried shrimp, hush puppies, fries, and coleslaw. Costing $42.99, this item is one of the more expensive dishes on the menu. Unfortunately, it is also one of the unhealthiest and contains 2,520 calories, 138 grams of fat, and 7,140 milligrams of sodium. Most startling of all these is the sodium value which, according to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is over three times the daily recommended intake. High sodium values are a common characteristic of Red Lobster dishes. In fact, over 30 of the restaurant's dishes contained more than the daily recommended allowance of 2,300 milligrams.

That being said, not all of Red Lobster's dishes are unhealthy. The Maple-Bacon Chicken only contains 870 milligrams of sodium, 570 calories, and 3 grams of saturated fat. What's more, this dish contains an impressive 65 grams of protein. In terms of fish, the roasted Atlantic salmon boasts an impressive nutritional profile, containing 93 grams of protein, 900 calories, and only 330 milligrams of sodium. So, if the requisite care is taken, healthy, nutritious meals can be had at Red Lobster. 

Red Lobster has offered some form of its Endless Shrimp deal for nearly 20 years. The deal made headlines in fall 2023, however, when it became apparent just how much it was costing the company. Around this time, the company moved it from being available for one day only to being available everyday. This contributed to Red Lobster posting an $11 million loss in the third quarter of 2023.

In an earnings call reported by The New York Times, Ludovic Garnier, the chief financial officer of Thai Union Group, a key stakeholder of Red Lobster, said: "It's one of the iconic promotions for Red Lobster, so we want to keep it on the menu. But of course we need to be much more careful regarding what is the entry point and what is the price point."

While shareholders and investors view the shrimp deal as a huge loss maker, customers of Red Lobster rightly see it as a fantastic deal. For $25, you get to indulge in an unlimited number of shrimp prepared with a variety of flavors including coconut shrimp, garlic shrimp, and popcorn shrimp. Given that ordering three types of shrimp off the menu already costs $25, customers would be foolish not to opt for the endless option.

Red Lobster is a restaurant brand known for its service as much as its Cheddar Bay Biscuits. However, dining in is not customers' only option as every single Red Lobster restaurant located in the United States offers some form of take out – either pickup, curbside pickup, delivery, or, in some circumstances, catering. It's not just food that is deliverable either; Red Lobster also sells and delivers beer and wine to go at certain locations.

Ordering is possible both through Red Lobster itself or a host of third-party websites, meaning customers no longer have to leave the comfort of their own home to enjoy a Red Lobster meal. That being said, some dishes and special deals, including Endless Shrimp, are not available when ordering take out. What's more, only two of the brand's famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits are included for every take out entrée ordered.

Despite being a seafood restaurant, the most popular item on Red Lobster's menu are the Cheddar Bay Biscuits. This appetizer has become a huge part of the company's identity with customers lauding its flaky texture and rich, garlic-centric flavor. Customers dining at Red Lobster are given exactly one more biscuit than there are people in their group. According to a person on Reddit, who claimed to be a Red Lobster employee, this is company policy. There are various suggestions why Red Lobster gives tables an extra biscuit with most believing it is some kind of conversation starter.

What makes this interesting, however, is that for those dining in, the Cheddar Bay Biscuits are both free and unlimited as a spokesperson for the company told Food & Wine: "Despite rumors to the contrary, Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits are in fact unlimited for our dine-in guests. Obviously, due to the nature of To Go and delivery orders, there is a limit to how many we include in the bag, which is two per entrée." This means you don't have to negotiate who has the last one; simply ask for more.

Those who are craving the biscuits but don't want to visit or place an order from Red Lobster are also in luck. The company produces a Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix that's available in grocery stores including Walmart, giving them a chance to enjoy Red Lobster's iconic biscuits whenever they want.

Red Lobster boasts a large menu. In order to make the menu more manageable, it is split into various sections including classics, pastas, and bowls and sandwiches. Two further sections that are worth exploring are family meals and signature feasts.

As the name suggests, the family meals section holds items that are designed for sharing between a group. These include the Family Snow Crab Meal Deal, which boasts 3 pounds of snow crab served with potatoes and a family-sized side for under $92. Another option is the Linguini Alfredo Family Meal which, when served with Cajun chicken, costs $58.99. Given that it serves four people, ordering this family meal as opposed to four Cajun Chicken Linguini Alfredo's offers savings of more than $30.

The brand's signature feasts do not offer such savings. Instead, they stand out thanks to their indulgent nature, epitomized by the various surf and turf options that are available. That being said, perhaps the most impressive of all Red Lobster dishes is Lobster Lover's Dream, a dish comprising two lobster tails — one Caribbean rock and the other Maine lobster — alongside a dish of shrimp and lobster linguini as well as two sides.

After enjoying biscuits, fish, and probably their fair share of shrimp, many Red Lobster customers eschew dessert. This is a mistake as the restaurant brand is known to have some exceptional sweet dishes. Most prominent of these is Brownie Overboard, a monstrous serving of chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel, fudge, and whipped cream. Containing over 1,000 calories, this dessert is best enjoyed between several people as the following TripAdvisor review highlights: "All three of us shared Brownie Overboard dessert. If you're a chocolate lover, this dessert will hit the spot."

Other options include two different styles of cheesecake as well as a chocolate cake. Those celebrating special occasions, or eating in large groups, can even order whole cakes to be split amongst them. So while we'd encourage you to enjoy Red Lobster's extensive range of appetizers, sides, and entrées, we'd remind you that, at Red Lobster, saving space for dessert is always a good idea.