The big story in the restaurant trade press this month has been the financial woes of Red Lobster Hospitality LLC, the operator of some 700 Red Lobster Seafood restaurants worldwide.
Known for its seafood-focused menu and its famous Cheddar Bay biscuits, the chain has gone into something resembling a financial tailspin over the last several weeks, closing down nearly a hundred locations and, in some instances, almost immediately auctioning off equipment and furnishings.
Currently owned by the Thai Union Group, a Bangkok-based seafood canning company, Red Lobster is reportedly preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The chain of events that led to Red Lobster’s current distress is unfortunately all too familiar, involving management missteps, shifts in the consumer preferences, and various ownership shuffles. Change a few of the details and one can just as easily be describing the recent history of other once-highflying casual dining nameplates like Friendly’s or Boston Market.
In the case of Red Lobster, inflated food and labor costs along with shifts in customer preferences are primarily responsible for the brand’s current difficulties.
Much media attention has also been focused on a $20 Ultimate Endless Shrimp deal the chain promoted starting in 2023, a marketing strategy that the company subsequently blamed for an $11 million operating loss that year. That shrimp fiasco mirrored a similar misstep, a 2003 “Endless Crab” promotion, which twenty years earlier had lost Red Lobster $3.3 million over a seven-week span of time.
The real story, however, is just how tenuous success in the dining out business can be. Even seemingly sophisticated restaurant organizations can often find themselves only a bad management decision or two away from financial disaster.
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Side Dishes:
On Sunday, June 2, White Lion Brewing Company in Springfield will be hosting a Jazz Brunch from noon until 3 p.m.
Masala Jazz will be performing, and White Lion promises an “elevated” brunch menu for the occasion.
White Lion’s downtown Springfield location answers at 413-455-0820.
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This month participating Burger King restaurants are celebrating the chain’s 70th anniversary by offering a Birthday Pie Slice dessert. Made with birthday cake-flavored pie filling in a cookie crumb crust, the pie is garnished with whipped topping and multicolored “rainbow” sprinkles.
The Birthday Pie Slice, which is priced at $2.59, will be on the menu for a limited time.
Burger King is also bringing back its patty melt sandwiches. The Philly Melt will feature two flame-broiled beef patties topped with grilled peppers and onions, Swiss cheese, and a dollop of BK’s “Royal Sauce,” all presented on toast
A similar sandwich build will be used for the Classic BK Melt, which will incorporate two beef patties, grilled onions, American cheese, and Royal Sauce all layered together between toast slices.
These Melt sandwiches are also a limited-time addition to the BK menu.
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Watermelon, the restaurant industry’s unofficial flavor of summer, is starting to make its seasonal appearance.
The beverage and snack chain Dunkin’ has released a late spring lineup that includes a Kiwi Watermelon Dunkin’ Refresher, which is available in either green tea or lemonade variations.
Watermelon is also making a cameo appearance in Dunkin’s pastry case as the chain promotes a Watermelon Burst Donut. Filled with watermelon-flavored jelly, the donut is dusted with tinted-red sugar.
On the savory snack side, Dunkin’ is now featuring a Green Goddess Wrap, a piece of lavash bread wrapped around a filling of egg whites, farro, sundried tomatoes, spinach, feta, and green goddess dressing.
Dunkin’ is also “teasing” the faithful among its customer base with hints that the brand has something special planned for National Donut Day, June 7.
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The Wales Irish Pub in Wales is sponsoring a Chili Cook Off on Saturday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The competition, which has an entry fee of $15, will award prizes for first, second, and third place finishers among the chili creators. The sign-up deadline for those who wish to enter is May 25, and a percentage of the proceeds from this event will be donated to local VFW posts.
For more details, contact the Wales Irish Pub at 413-245-1357.
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Pizza Hut, the Yum! Brands pizza chain, is flirting with the burger business as it introduces a Cheeseburger Melt to its menu.
The Cheeseburger Melt isn’t a true bun-and-beef construct. Instead, it’s a pizza crust foldover that’s filled with ground beef, bacon, onions, and two cheeses. In further emulation of a fast food burger, the Cheeseburger Melt comes with a side of “Burger Sauce” for drizzling or dipping.
Promoted as an innovation that represents a more convenient way to enjoy the burger experience, the Cheeseburger Melt joins the four other “melt” handhelds Pizza Hut has previously introduced.
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The Crest Room in West Springfield has brought back Trivia Night. Held every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Trivia Night is smartphone-based and features team competition, with prizes awarded to the top two teams.
Open seven days from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and later on weekends, the Crest Room offers weekday menu features as well as its house specialty, smokehouse barbecue.
The Crest Room answers at 413-739-7700.
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For those who like a serious splash of heat with their dinner, this summer threatens to be a season during which Sriracha, one of the most popular of hot sauce condiments, might be AWOL from retail store shelves.
Irwindale, CA-based Huy Fong Foods, Sriracha’s manufacturer, has reportedly suspended production of the sauce until September, citing a shortage of red jalapeno peppers. The peppers, a key ingredient in Sriracha’s recipe, are in short supply due to a winter-long drought across northern Mexico. The dry conditions prevented the peppers from ripening properly, making them unsuitable for use in Sriracha.
The summer-long shutdown at Huy Fong Foods is timed to end with the harvest of this summer’s jalapeno crop and a hoped-for renewed availability of ripe peppers.
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The Shortstop Bar & Grill in Westfield has given the summer dining season an early start by bringing back lobster rolls.
The iconic shoreside sandwich is available in both its popular variations - as chilled lobster salad with mayo and lettuce or “Connecticut-style,” with hot buttered lobster meat piled into a toasted roll.
Both versions are served with fries and a side of coleslaw.
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Call the Shortstop Bar & Grill at 413-642-6370.
Cracker Barrel Old Country store locations have recently added Watermelon Lemonade to its beverage line-up. Adults also have the option of enjoying a Watermelon Spritzer made with lemon-lime soda and watermelon puree, then spiked with Roscato Moscato.
Cracker Barrel has also hopped aboard the “sweet and spicy” bandwagon, introducing two “bee sting” entree option, both of which feature a proprietary hot honey glaze.
Bee Sting Chicken Tenders, which are finished with the new hot honey, are served with two sides and the choices of biscuits or corn muffins. A Bee Sting Chicken Sandwich is similarly given the “swicy” treatment before being partnered with a buttermilk bun and finished with pickles and mayonnaise.
In addition to the bee sting flavor options, Cracker Barrel will this summer be serving a ten-ounce New Your Strip Steak finished with garlic butter. The steak will be available with two sides and biscuits or muffins and can also be enjoyed “breakfast style” with eggs or as a dinner combo with chicken or shrimp.
There are Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations on Whiting Farms Road in Holyoke and on Route 20 in Sturbridge.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
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