Red Lobster’s new CEO knows he has a lot on his plate. The 56-year-old restaurant chain has been rocked by and a , but Damola Adamolekun is ready to nurse it back to prominence as he takes over as CEO. Adamolekun, 35, said one promotion meant to reel in customers failed when the chain offered $20 endless shrimp as a permanent item on its menu after previously being a limited-time option.
“You stress out the kitchen. You stress out the servers. You stress out the host,” he .
“People can’t get a table. It creates a lot of chaos operationally.” Endless shrimp may return at some point down the line, says Adamolekun.
If it does, he wants to make sure it doesn’t lead to the kinds of problems it did when it became a permanent menu item. “I never want to say never, but certainly not the way that it was done,” he said. “We won’t have it in a way that’s losing money in that fashion and isn’t managed.
”Red Lobster opened in 1968 and became one of the many casual eating options throughout America before stumbling into financial trouble in recent years. In September, the restaurant for its plan to get out of bankruptcy, allowing Fortress Investment Group LLC to take over, along with other investors that committed more than $60 million to Red Lobster. As part of that transition of power, Adamolekun, who previously served as , was named CEO as Red Lobster will remain an independent company, while customers can visit any one of its nearly 550 locations throughout t.
