Red Lobster brings back Endless Shrimp after promotion helped push chain toward bankruptcy

Red Lobster is once again offering its Endless Shrimp promotion that contributed to millions of dollars in losses before the seafood chain filed for bankruptcy two years ago.

The company told Fox News Digital it decided to bring back Endless Shrimp because the promotion still matters enormously to its customers, who "never stopped asking for it."

"They continued telling us they missed it, showed up when we brought it back this spring and kept asking for more after that run ended," Red Lobster said.

AMERICA'S CHEAPEST POPCORN SHRIMP BASKET AT A CHAIN RESTAURANT COSTS UNDER $9

"We weren’t going to walk away from something they love simply because the previous operating model did not work," the company added. "The better answer was to fix what didn’t work and bring it back in a way that is right for our guests, our restaurant teams and the company."

According to Red Lobster, the spring run also proved the company could bring Endless Shrimp back in a way "that delights our guests and works for our restaurant teams and our business."

Participating locations began offering the current Endless Shrimp deal for a limited time Aug. 17.

"Guests can mix and match five flavors endlessly throughout the meal for as much shrimp as they like, any way they like it," Red Lobster announced in a press release.

The lineup includes new garlic bread-crusted shrimp, shrimp linguini Alfredo, garlic shrimp scampi, Parrot Isle coconut shrimp and Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, hand-breaded, butterflied shrimp lightly fried and served with cocktail sauce.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Red Lobster closed dozens of locations nationwide in May 2024 before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Fox News previously reported.

Many analysts and media reports have cited the company’s decision to make Endless Shrimp a permanent offering as one factor behind its financial troubles.

Endless Shrimp returned to select Red Lobster locations in the spring of 2026, but the chain’s 37-year-old CEO, Damola Adamolekun, made it clear in a statement to affiliate FOX 13 Tampa Bay that the promotion would be available for a limited time only.

"The previous model did not work, so we did not repeat it," Red Lobster told Fox News Digital. "We rebuilt Endless Shrimp around much stronger operational and financial discipline, including better forecasting, kitchen flow, menu structure and restaurant support.

"We also designed the current offer to work as a dine-in experience, with pricing that can vary by market. The new standard is simple: Endless Shrimp has to work for the guest, the restaurant team and the business."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

The spring run of Endless Shrimp "met and exceeded our expectations in several important ways," Red Lobster told Fox News Digital.

"Guest satisfaction significantly outperformed the average for Red Lobster promotions, restaurant-team support was stronger than it had been in years and our internal team Proud to Serve and Recommend scores both came in above historical levels," the company said.

"Just as importantly, guests continued asking for Endless Shrimp after the promotion ended."

In June 2026, Adamolekun said he was planning "the greatest comeback in the history of the restaurant industry."

His plan includes streamlining operations, closing underperforming restaurants, increasing engagement with customers and tapping into their nostalgia.

One of the biggest lessons Red Lobster said it learned from the previous Endless Shrimp promotion was that "guest demand alone is not enough."

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

The changes to Endless Shrimp are one example of how Red Lobster operates differently today, the company said.

"We are focused first on the guest, but that guest focus is backed by greater operational discipline and financial rigor. With Endless Shrimp, we took an experience guests love, addressed what wasn’t working and proved we could deliver it successfully under a stronger model. That same approach is guiding the broader business," Red Lobster said.