How Red Lobster Mastered Social Listening & Became a Gen Z Darling
Ok, Boomer #8: Special Report
Legacy restaurant brands are in the midst of an unexpected renaissance. A combination of nostalgia, savvy marketing, and just plain good business has turned old-school chains into the darlings of younger consumers. Applebee's began the comeback with their successful dollarita ($1 margarita) campaign, followed by Chili's with their signature Triple Dipper that took over the U.S. in 2024 and shows no signs of stopping.
Enter Red Lobster: arguably the last place anyone expected to have a comeback story after their bankruptcy in 2024. Yet here we are, watching the seafood chain execute one of the most effective brand turnarounds in recent memory, all thanks to strategic social listening and rapid response capabilities. How did they get here?
The Fall of Red Lobster
While Red Lobster’s downfall was primarily due to real estate issues caused by the usual suspects—private equity—that didn’t stop the internet from latching onto the funniest possible reasoning for the chain's woes: Shrimp. Specifically, the endless kind. One of Red Lobster’s largest shareholders was also their shrimp supplier, Thai Union, who influenced the once seasonal promotion to run all year at unsustainable prices (for a detailed breakdown, see this piece from CNN). The Endless Shrimp promo ended up losing Red Lobster $11 million, and immortalizing it as a meme online.
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New CEO
Post-bankruptcy, Red Lobster appointed 33 years old Damola Adamolekun as the new CEO—the youngest in the company’s history. Adamolekun had previously served as a managing partner at Paulson & Co., the hedge fund that purchased P.F. Chang's in 2019. Adamolekun's first moves were telling: bringing back beloved menu items like hush puppies that had been discontinued, introducing new value meals and happy hour offerings, and most importantly, adopting a social-first communications strategy where he spoke directly to customers through videos on social media.
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This direct-to-consumer approach felt radically different from typical corporate communications. Though other companies have attempted this style in the past, —such as former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol’s disastrous response to pushback against rising prices and declining portion sizes at Chipotle—none have been able to do it in a way that felt as authentic and platform-appropriate as Adamolekun.
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Comments lambasted Niccol for being out of touch, with many saying it’s like he’s never been to a Chipotle. Others focused on his dismissive suggestion to make a passive aggressive shrug to the employee building your burrito if the portion looks too small. Needless to say, the video became a meme, with parodies going viral online.
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Adamolekun's videos, on the other hand, were surprisingly candid for an executive, and mirrored the authenticity of a founder explaining their vision. This resonated powerfully with younger audiences, already skeptical (at best) of corporate leadership. Plus, it didn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes.
Trend Spotting Seafood Boils
Seafood boils have long been a staple of the South, and northern coastal communities (albeit known under different colloquialisms). Seafood boils began picking up traction on social media nearly a decade ago, but really came into the mainstream in 2024.
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