Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp Turned Servers Into ‘Shrimp Police’ And Bankrupted the Chain. Now It’s Back — Here’s How They Changed It.

The all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion almost destroyed the chain two years ago. After months of planning, Red Lobster relaunched it in April.

When Larry Konecny joined Red Lobster as COO in November 2024, he quickly learned the horror stories about Endless Shrimp, the chain’s all-you-can-eat promotion. Kitchen workers were overwhelmed preparing mountains of shrimp while other orders sat getting cold. Servers had to become “shrimp police,” counting shrimp and ensuring plates were completely empty before refills.

The promotion had been a hit for over 20 years, but when former owners ran it continuously in 2024, it sank profits and helped drive the chain into bankruptcy. After months of planning, Red Lobster relaunched it in April with major changes: a six-to-eight-week run instead of continuous, tiered pricing of $24.99 to $29.99, five specific shrimp options, and dine-in only. Customers start with three dishes and can order up to two more at a time.

The new approach is showing results. Visits to Red Lobster locations jumped more than 18 percent since the promotion began, according to Placer.ai. Konecny says the company is “happy with economic outcomes” but hasn’t decided if Endless Shrimp will return permanently after the current run ends.