In hopes of attracting more customers during the summer and fall, Red Lobster in June made one of its most popular specialty dishes a mainstay on the menu: Ultimate Endless Shrimp.
In the past few months, the restaurant saw an uptick in customers, who could pay $20 to eat as many shrimp as they wanted. But the offer, which Red Lobster once called “irresistible,” might have been too popular for the restaurant’s own good.


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Thai Union Group, a Thailand-based seafood supplier that owns a substantial stake in Red Lobster, said in a recent financial report that the restaurant suffered a roughly $11 million operating loss during its third quarter, as Restaurant Business first reported. Ludovic Regis Henri Garnier, Thai Union Group’s chief financial officer, said on a call with investors in November that the Ultimate Endless Shrimp deal contributed to the financial loss.



“The proportion of the people selecting this promotion was much higher compared to expectation,” Garnier said Nov. 7, according to a transcript of the call.
Red Lobster did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Thursday night.
Ultimate Endless Shrimp had been a special dish at Red Lobster for more than 18 years, usually appearing on the menu only on Mondays and for unique occasions. Red Lobster, which has more than 700 locations, made the shrimp a permanent menu item in late June.
Customers start by choosing two shrimp dishes, which are served with the chain’s signature cheddar biscuits, but can add additional shrimp dishes at no extra cost.

“Insider tip: avoid grabbing the extra biscuit to leave room for endless amounts of shrimp,” Red Lobster said in its June announcement.


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More customers started dining at the restaurant than earlier in the year, but many ordered only the Ultimate Endless Shrimp, Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union Group’s chief executive, said on the call with investors. The deal was so popular that some people on social media competed to eat the most shrimp in one sitting or found strategies to consume as many as shrimp as possible.

Red Lobster’s third fiscal quarter ran between July and the end of September.
“Bottom line, in terms of financial performance, it did not deliver what we were expecting,” Garnier said on the call.

Garnier said that Red Lobster has recently increased the price for Ultimate Endless Shrimp to $25 — a change that has improved the restaurant’s operating costs.
Still, Red Lobster is expected to lose nearly $20 million this year, according to Thai Union Group’s recent financial report.


This isn’t the first time Red Lobster has suffered financially from an “endless” dish promotion. In 2003, the restaurant lost millions of dollars after underestimating how many crabs people typically eat in one sitting.
Other restaurants have faced financial issues from similar promotions, including Olive Garden, which didn’t offer its never-ending pasta promotion in 2020 and 2021. Applebee’s failed to meet financial expectations in 2004 after serving all-you-can-eat riblets.
Despite Red Lobster’s recent financial losses, the restaurant isn’t planning to abandon its promotion of unlimited shrimp, one of its signature dishes.
“We want to keep it in the menu,” Garnier said. “But of course, we need to be much more careful regarding what is the entry point and what is the price point we are offering for this promotion.”

How did Sleepy Donald do on day 2? Did he stay awake?
Cruise tomorrow! Checking out Virgin Voyages.

Hate to see injury's take kids out. Vito, Desanto, Carr and O'Toole and some very big names that will not be in.
Some brackets are still crazy but with Starrocci bumping up 74 kilos is losing 3 studs.

I think we can guess.

How did Iowa land such a generational talent?

the first pitch was moved to 6 p.m. (CT) due to forecasted rain in the area.

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if something goofy happens, hit REFRESH

here you go:

Game 1: IOWA at Ohio State

What should they do?

What is it with these MAGAs? I mean, doesn't everyone strike their loved ones with guns?

This is the same Ryan Fournier who Scruddy trotted out with some breaking news that is no longer available because it was likely just another lie. Looks like he also possesses the hypocrisy gene as he was arrested for DUI after railing on attorneys for representing those with DUIs. Wonder if he ever found an attorney for that.

Cops: Students For Trump Founder Struck GF With Gun​

November 28, 2023 Crime, Trump cultists


Axios reports:

The North Carolina-based Students for Trump co-founder Ryan Fournier is facing misdemeanor charges for assault on a female and assault with a deadly weapon, law enforcement records obtained by Axios show.
Fournier, who studied at Campbell University in Raleigh, co-founded Students for Trump ahead of the 2016 election and now leads the group Radical Alert, which “exposes” radicals’ hate that has “taken over American college campuses,” according to its X bio.
Fournier, 27, was arrested in Johnston County last Tuesday for assaulting and striking his girlfriend by “grabbing her right arm and striking her in the forehead” with a handgun, according to the magistrate’s order.

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Read the full article. Fournier last appeared here in October 2022 when he was charged with DUI for a second time after having attacked a GOP House candidate and lawyer for representing people charged with DUI.
As you may recall, the other Students For Trump founder, John Lambert, was sentenced to 13 months in prison in 2021 for masquerading as a lawyer with an Ivy League degree.
Fournier, who reportedly helped Lambert create a fake law firm, testified against him, presumably in return for avoiding charges. Fournier has nearly one million Twitter followers and is also a co-founder of Turning Point Action.

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One of the few things I like about winter.

Why does it seem like construction takes twice as long as it used to? Is it just me?

This is such a bad look. Deion appears more and more unserious as a Power 4 head coach by the minute.

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He's gonna work out for pro teams next month (April 15?).

Check this out & watch:

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They will host the first 2 games in Iowa City, so the Sweet 16 looks very realistic.

But can they realistically win the next game, to get to the Elite 8?

Could they beat a 1 seed (UConn, Notre Dame, etc) to advance to the Final 4? hmmmmm.......

This sums it up for about 3 decades.

Just because

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At least 43 people have been shot, seven fatally, in gun violence across Chicago so far this weekend, police said.

On Saturday night, a mass shooting on Chicago's South Side left at least 11 people shot, including four children, Chicago fire officials said.

The victims included seven adults and four children, police said.

A 9-year-old girl was shot in the head and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

A 1-year-old boy was shot twice in the abdomen and was taken to a hospital in critical condition. An 8-year-old boy was also shot in the abdomen and left with critical injuries.

The adult victims' ages ranged from 19 to 40.

Bidens America is not safe!

MSN

It was a packed schedule for Hawkeye Olympic sports last week. Track and Field picked up three 1-2 finishes last weekend in the men's and women's steeplechase and men's discus. The Hawkeyes also posted top-10 times on the men's side in the steeplechase.

Elsewhere, Iowa tennis celebrated Senior Day with a win, Hawkeye rowing dominated in the Big 10/ Big 12 Dual and Noah Kent picked up a top-ten finish for Iowa golf.

You can follow along with all things Hawkeye sports here.

Before the Hawkeyes actually get a possible transfer in (which it seems like a very good possibility), here’s a poll to gauge the optimism for a 2025 NCAA tournament bid.

Assuming no transfers in…