9 Restaurant Secrets About Red Lobster

Dining out feels more expensive than ever, and chains like Red Lobster are no exception. So, when you do opt to step out for a bite to eat rather than whip something up in your own kitchen, it is absolutely crucial to be fully informed in order to make the most of your experience.

Below are nine restaurant secrets about Red Lobster that you'll want to know before you sit down for some crab legs and Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Whether you're on the hunt for the best deals and discounts or simply want to know what menu items to avoid, you'll find some information that'll prepare you for a trip to the seafood chain. But as you read, keep in mind that prices may change and continue to rise over time. Additionally, prices might also vary by location, so it is best to cross-reference with the prices from the Red Lobster location nearest you.

Not only do chain restaurant portions tend to be huge, but they're also usually pretty pricey, too. You can soften the blow of a trip to Red Lobster by ordering select items off the à la carte menu. For example, if you check out the "Biscuits & Extras" section, you'll find Garlic Linguini Alfredo for $6.99 and Grilled Shrimp or Garlic Shrimp Scampi each for $8.49. Your portion might be a tad smaller, but you'll come in at only $15.48 before tax and tip compared to the entrée price of $19.99.

And if you drop by the chain at lunchtime and have a hankering for Walt's Favorite Shrimp, you're better off ordering the shrimp and side separately. The regular lunch price is $13.99, but you can order the shrimp from the "Biscuits & Extras" section for $8.49 and a side like seasoned broccoli, orzo rice, or mashed potatoes from the "Soups & Sides" section for $3.49. That comes out to just $11.98 before tax and tip.

Beyond snagging your meal off the à la carte menu, there's another way to save a bit of cash during your next trip to Red Lobster, but only if you meet certain requirements. If you're a veteran or active-duty member of the military, you can receive a 10% discount all year long when you dine in. Just make sure to bring proof of your service along with you in order to claim the discount. This special offer doesn't apply to online orders, and its use in person doesn't include the purchase of gift cards or alcohol.

Unfortunately, there aren't any other year-round discounts, such as for seniors, at Red Lobster. Nevertheless, if you're 55 or older or have an AARP membership, you might be able to get some savings at 18 of these other fast food restaurants that offer senior discounts. It might not be Cheddar Bay Biscuits or lobster fresh from the tank, but it's something.

Free bread is just the cherry on top of a restaurant experience, although there might be sneaky reasons restaurants offer it. And while this is normally reserved for dine-in customers, there is a way to snag yourself some free Cheddar Bay Biscuits with your online order at Red Lobster. All you have to do is download the app and complete your profile in order to activate Gold Member status and claim a dozen biscuits with your online order. This freebie will save you $7.49.

If you dine in, you can still enjoy unlimited Cheddar Bay Biscuits. But if you really want to maximize your trip to the chain, ask for another round of those Cheddar Bay Biscuits toward the end of your meal. Then, simply take them to go with the rest of your leftovers. If you were to order those biscuits online, they'd cost you at least $4.99 for six or $7.49 for 12.

A 2015 investigation revealed that Red Lobster's shrimp was sourced from factories in Thailand, which relied on slave labor to process the seafood, according to the Associated Press. The sites of forced labor also supplied shrimp to grocers like Walmart and Whole Foods, as well as other restaurants like Olive Garden. Even Costco was caught up in a similar scandal. 

Workers in factories outside of Bangkok, Thailand were forced to stand and peel shrimp with their hands in ice water from 3 a.m. until 7 p.m. After their 16-hour shifts, workers could only shower and go to sleep. They were woken up the next day and forced to do it all again.

The shrimp processed with slave labor would be mixed and packaged with seafood from other sources in an attempt to obscure its origins. Despite United States customs records, as well as evidence uncovered by the Associated Press, Red Lobster insisted that the shrimp it used in its restaurants was not tainted by slave labor. But the chain's claims were based on promises from its Thailand-based supplier.

While Red Lobster claims to be the largest seafood-buying restaurant chain in the world, don't expect to walk into the establishment for shrimp straight from the ocean or a fresh-caught filet of fish. The live lobsters in the tank on display at your local Red Lobster can be deceiving; those are just about the only seafood item that's served fresh. The bulk of the chain's seafood is actually flash frozen.

Red Lobster says that flash freezing the seafood at the site of the catch means it can serve high-quality shrimp, crab, and fish no matter the time of year. But if you're on the pickier side when it comes to your seafood, it's a better idea to dine at a local joint on the water that sources its catches fresh. Or if you're a home cook, try buying it fresh during your next grocery run. Just keep in mind the best days to buy fresh fish at the grocery store, which also happen to be the busiest.

Sometimes you just don't have the time or energy to cook. Well, you can save yourself some mental exhaustion and time in the kitchen by ordering a Red Lobster Family Meal all for yourself. And no, this isn't to consume all in one sitting. Rather, you can divvy up your Red Lobster order and use it as part of your meal prep for the week. This hack works perfectly with menu items that reheat well. So, unless you've mastered the best way to reheat pasta with Alfredo sauce, Red Lobster's Linguini Alfredo Meal might not be the way to go.

Instead, something like one of the Sailor's Seafood Boil Family Meals will do the trick. It'll contain enough to serve four or five people, which at $69.99 comes out to about $13.99 per serving. But if you pair it with some additional veggies you steam or roast at home, you can stretch the Family Meal even further to round out your meal prep.

If saving money is a top priority for you, look no further than the Wednesday special at Red Lobster. Hump day features a Steak & Lobster Daily Deal, coming in at just $24.99. Compared to its regular price of $36.99, that's roughly 32.5% in savings.

The Monday Lobster & Shrimp Scampi Daily Deal is another solid money saver, coming in at a special price of $19.99. That'll come out to about 27.3% in savings, since otherwise you'd need to order both the Garlic Shrimp Scampi and a Classic Maine Lobster Tail off the à la carte menu for $8.49 and $18.99, respectively.

The Tuesday Snow Crab Legs will save you 19.4%, and the Thursday Shrimp or Chicken Alfredo will save you 25.1% – neither of those savings are anything to sneeze at. Friday Fish & Chips is the worst Daily Deal on Red Lobster's menu, with the regular price coming in at $18.99 and the special at $15.99. That only comes out to a savings of about 15.8%.

For many folks, the Endless Shrimp deal might have been the only reason to walk through Red Lobster's doors. You might have even mourned the loss of Endless Shrimp when Red Lobster's new CEO announced in 2024 that the chain was abandoning the promotion. But over the years, the price was hiked numerous times. Remember when it was just $16? How about $20? And then finally $25? Though at all price points Endless Shrimp seemed like a deal you simply couldn't pass up, it actually wasn't as cost-effective as you might have thought.

In order to truly maximize that money you spent, you'd have to eat over three pounds of shrimp. There's no doubt that some customers were able to achieve that feat, but as the average diner probably also nibbled on some biscuits and sides and sipped on a couple of beverages, it's unlikely that you ate enough shrimp to cross that three-pound mark.

You'd think that with a name like Red Lobster, the chain would have its lobster bisque recipe on lock. Unfortunately, the seafood soup is not at all worth the money. The dish is actually one of the worst menu items available, in part thanks to it being wildly inconsistent in terms of texture — sometimes it's thin and runny, and other times it's thick and gloopy. Flavor-wise, you'll find that Red Lobster's lobster bisque is jam-packed with sodium to the point where it's sometimes too salty to enjoy.

And if you go hunting for a hunk of lobster, prepare to be disappointed. Oftentimes, there are no bits of lobster meat to be had. In fact, the soup was at the center of a 2016 scandal when Red Lobster was caught serving lobster bisque without any actual lobster in it. The Inside Edition investigation used a lab-conducted DNA analysis to identify the mystery meat in some of the samples as langostino, a cheap lobster substitute that's more closely related to the hermit crab. You're better off saving yourself $7.99 and a whopping 630 calories by ordering something else.