Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp Was a Setup — And They Got Played by Their Own People By GerryPthaDJ | fab945thehitz.com | Bootcamp Radio

Let’s talk about it.

Red Lobster didn’t just fall off — it was pushed. And the deeper I dig, the uglier it gets.

Everyone remembers that “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” deal that Red Lobster ran last year. All-you-can-eat shrimp for just $20. People pulled up thinking they hit a lick. But behind the scenes, the business was bleeding out — and now, we know why.

Turns out the folks who owned Red Lobster were also the same ones selling them the shrimp. Read that again.

The Thai Union Group, a seafood conglomerate that fully acquired Red Lobster in 2020, was not only running the business — they were also the sole supplier for the very product that buried the brand. That “endless shrimp” promo wasn’t just a miscalculation. It was a setup that padded one pocket while draining the other.

Let me break it down:

1. Double Dipping at Its Finest

Thai Union had Red Lobster lock into an exclusive shrimp deal. That meant Red Lobster could only buy shrimp from them — no competition, no better prices, no negotiation. While Red Lobster was offering unlimited plates to the public, Thai Union was cashing in, selling shrimp at full price right back to their own restaurant.

2. The Math Never Mattered

Corporate leadership pushed the deal through even after internal teams raised red flags. When the numbers didn’t add up, they still gave it the greenlight. Why? Because losing money on the restaurant side didn’t hurt as much if you were making it back as the supplier. It’s like loaning money to yourself and charging interest — but using someone else’s house to do it.

3. It Gets Deeper

Red Lobster was already in trouble. Since 2019, foot traffic dropped nearly 30%. Add that to high labor costs, inflation, and a bad real estate play from 2014 where they sold off all their properties only to lease them back at inflated prices. That’s over $190 million a year in rent alone.

The shrimp didn’t kill Red Lobster by itself. But it was the final hit — and the fingerprints are all over the place.

4. The CEO Speaks Out

The new CEO, Jonathan Tibus, is the one who finally pulled the covers off this mess. He launched a full investigation and is now trying to steer the company through bankruptcy and restructuring. He admitted the shrimp deal was a “misstep.” That’s putting it lightly.

What this really was… was business sabotage hidden in plain sight.

What We Can Learn From This

This isn’t just a corporate story. This is a lesson in ownership, control, and accountability. When you don’t control the supply chain, someone else controls your survival. Red Lobster got pimped from the inside — the very people who were supposed to save the brand sold it out for shrimp profits.

And to the ones in the streets, in business, in radio, and beyond: be mindful of who’s in your kitchen and who’s eating off your plate.

They might be feeding you, but they’re feeding themselves first.

This is GerryPthaDJ.

I said what I said.

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