Red Lobster is rolling out new dishes comprising of chicken and meat for those who are not seafood fans, as well as offering more menu items with price points below $15, in a bid to boost sales.
Nearly 60 percent of the dishes on Red Lobster's new menu are under $15. That's an increase from 40 percent on the previous menu. The 15 new dishes under $15 are called "Maine Stays" and are available daily, the company said in a statement.
The casual dining industry has seen a decline over recent years as more consumers are eating out less or opting for places such as Five Guys burgers, Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill that fall somewhere between traditional sit-down restaurants and fast-food chains. Red Lobster in particular has struggled, with traffic at restaurants falling in 12 of the past 24 months.
Red Lobster, which first opened in 1968, is trying to offer more options in order to draw more customers in. The restaurant currently has a marketing campaign going on called "Sea Food Differently" that features the real people of Red Lobster and their reactions to their food.
New "Maine Stays" include entrees include:
The chain, which is owned by Darden Restaurants Inc., says a quarter of the items on its menu will be nonseafood dishes, up from 8 percent. And the number of lower-cost entrees will rise to about 60 percent from 40 percent.
Clarence Otis, CEO at Darden, which also owns Olive Garden, says: "The biggest risk would be to not change."
The idea behind Red Lobster rolling out more non-seafood options is to eliminate the "veto vote," or that one person in a family or group of friends who rules out Red Lobster because they don't like seafood.
Examples of non-seafood dishes include:
- Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Alfredo: Served over corkscrew pasta and fresh broccoli.
- Wood -Grilled Pork Chops: Topped with apple compote and peach-bourbon BBQ sauce, served over mashed potatoes and choice of accompaniment.
- Roasted Vegetable Skewer: Topped with a lemon-garlic beurre blanc and served with wild rice pilaf.
- Blue Cheese Sirloin: A 7 ounce peppercorn-crusted sirloin, wood-grilled and topped with a creamy blue cheese sauce. Served over mashed potatoes and choice of accompaniment.
