More chains: Red Lobster, Olive Garden slipping?

[Robin Garr]

News break from Nation's Restaurant News:

Darden to spin off or sell Red Lobster chain
Dec. 19, 2013
Ron Ruggless
Nation's Restaurant News

Darden Restaurants Inc. said Thursday that it would sell or spin off its Red Lobster chain, which along with Olive Garden has been a drag on profits.

Orlando, Fla.-based Darden said it also would suspend the opening of new Olive Garden locations and limit new LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants.

Clarence Otis, Darden’s chairman and chief executive, acknowledged that the casual-dining segment was under pressure. He said the segment had experienced “relatively low levels of consumer demand in each of the past several years” and “additional unexpected softness since June.”

Full story in Nation's Restaurant News:
http://nrn.com/corporate-news/darden-sp ... =article_1

Fast Casual and the Better Burger revolution put a really big dent in the casual sit down market that seems to be hard to buff out.

None of this is a surprise, really. The lower tier of the casual sit down like Steak n' Shake and Red Lobster are the most likely casualties. The battle between Applebee's, O'Charleys and the like will also probably claim a few brands as well.

Oh well thanks a lot Robin...Too bad you couldn't have posted this 3 hours earlier...before I bought my poor mother gift cards for Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Oh well, at least she'll be able to use the Cracker Barrel gift card. .........

Speaking of Red Lobster the ONLY reason I want to go there is to eat my weight in shrimps. Is there a local place you guys could recommend that I could get my shrimp feast on?

The Red Lobster is just not very good. I went to one in Lexington with a colleague the other day. Expensive and bland.

The Red Lobster is just not very good. I went to one in Lexington with a colleague the other day. Expensive and bland.

That's what I'm scared of. There's gotta be a local spot where I can get my scrimps on!

Say what you will about Darden, they do run a pretty tight ship. When they spun off Smokey Bones last year, I noticed a very perceptible slip in food quality. BTW, I have heard that the Hurstbourne Olive Garden and The Breckenridge Red Lobster are two of the highest performing outlets in the Darden fifedom.

I would make a joke that Red Lobster's clientele are getting older but that might not be a joke.

My only visits are once a year at 3:45 pm on my 85 year old grandmother in laws birthday. She knows every employee by name and always orders the fried shrimp. Ive had lunch at nursing homes with younger clientele and better seafood.

I would make a joke that Red Lobster's clientele are getting older but that might not be a joke.

My only visits are once a year at 3:45 pm on my 85 year old grandmother in laws birthday. She knows every employee by name and always orders the fried shrimp. Ive had lunch at nursing homes with younger clientele and better seafood.

I have an ex who worked there (Breckinridge) as a server a few years ago. She was less than enthused about the clientele. Old people and African-Americans.

Not trying to ruffle any feathers with that comment, but I will say the money was crap.

Speaking of Red Lobster the ONLY reason I want to go there is to eat my weight in shrimps. Is there a local place you guys could recommend that I could get my shrimp feast on?

If you knew the condition those shrimp (raised in farms and imported from Viet Nam) lived in or what they contained you probably would abstain from eating so many. Just saying.

I hope your ex has found a better job more to her/his liking where there are a lot of young white people- Fourth Street Live perhaps.

Speaking of Red Lobster the ONLY reason I want to go there is to eat my weight in shrimps. Is there a local place you guys could recommend that I could get my shrimp feast on?

If you knew the condition those shrimp (raised in farms and imported from Viet Nam) lived in or what they contained you probably would abstain from eating so many. Just saying.

I venture that 95% (probably higher), of the shrimp in America are farm raised in Vietnam.....Gulf shrimp are delicious to me....but they do have a strong taste, and the average consumer is not a fan of that, at this time.

Gulf shrimp are delicious to me....but they do have a strong taste, and the average consumer is not a fan of that, at this time.

There's no comparison in flavor and texture between fresh caught Gulf shrimp and farm raised shrimp! We always pig out on the fresh caught ones whenever Selenas has them! I don't think the flavor is strong at all, it's just the fact that they actually do have a flavor. They also have a very nice texture that is firmer yet tender compared to the farm raised ones. We'll certainly take fresh caught over farm raised anytime.

[Robin Garr]

If you knew the condition those shrimp (raised in farms and imported from Viet Nam) lived in or what they contained you probably would abstain from eating so many. Just saying.

This.

Read this if you dare, but there are some things in it that you won't be able to un-see.

Why You May Never Want to Eat Shrimp Again
A whopping 85 percent of the shrimp we eat is imported and when it arrives in the U.S., almost none of this food is ever inspected.

Full story:
http://www.alternet.org/food/why-you-ma ... rimp-again

I venture that 95% (probably higher), of the shrimp in America are farm raised in Vietnam.....Gulf shrimp are delicious to me....but they do have a strong taste, and the average consumer is not a fan of that, at this time.

Farm raised shrimp; one of the reasons I -rarely- order shrimp in a restaurant environment...as well as one of many reasons I will NEVER knowingly eat anything labeled "Product of Vietnam.