Endless Shrimp is a menu deal that’s synonymous with Red Lobster, possibly even more so than the extra buttery Cheddar Bay Biscuits. But Endless Shrimp implies the existence of other bottomless menu deals—namely Endless Lobster, a meal which has never existed at Red Lobster but which many fans have wondered about and hoped for across the decades. A seafood lover’s fantasy. A pipe dream. Too good to be true, right? Well, yes and no. Red Lobster has announced that Endless Lobster is soon to be a (very limited) reality.
On March 28 in New York City, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., a select few will be able to enjoy the first-ever Endless Lobster event at the Red Lobster restaurant in Times Square. To get in on this exclusive event, you’ll need to head to this website and snag your reservation on March 21, one week ahead of the actual event.
On top of an endless supply of 1.25-lb. live Maine lobsters to enjoy free of charge, Red Lobster’s Times Square location will also be serving plenty of butter for dunking, along with steamed broccoli and each guest’s choice of side.
For those of you already pulling up the website, ready to pounce on these reservations like some Taylor Swift concert tickets, consider how it might feel to eat more than a single 1.25-lb. lobster. To take down a few of these crustaceans might require some cunning strategy and a diligent plan of attack, as Takeout staff writer Dennis Lee demonstrates in his guide to conquering Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp.
If Endless Lobster is anything like Endless Shrimp, then we have a few pointers: dressing comfortably for this momentous occasion will let you focus on taking down more lobster instead of adjusting your tie. Avoid the temptation to fill up exclusively on those damn delicious biscuits. And while, yes, your main mission is to indulge in free lobster, don’t be afraid to treat your side dishes like a palate cleanser.
More to the point, though, why exactly is Endless Lobster happening at all? Why now? And what about the masses who don’t reside in the Big Apple, unable to snag a seat at these coveted tables?
“We know our guests love lobster and promotions like Ultimate Endless Shrimp, so we felt this was the perfect time to combine the two,” Patty Trevino, Chief Marketing Officer at Red Lobster, told The Takeout via email. “With the Endless Lobster event, we wanted to delight our lob-sessed guests and also use the event as a pilot program to evaluate if this is something that could be scaled like Ultimate Endless Shrimp.”
You hear that? This is a test, people. And maybe, just maybe, depending on how that Times Square test goes, there could be a crustacean-filled future in store for all of us.
Trevino explained that although the company does not currently have plans to extend the event nationwide, Red Lobster hopes to learn from it regarding the feasibility of making that happen. When asked about what it would take to make Endless Lobster feasible as a nationwide offering, Trevino responded, “For one, a lot of lobster!”
“There are a lot of pieces that would need to come together,” according to Trevino, who called the upcoming event in New York a starting point. Still, we choose to hang our hopes on this promotion. Red Lobster’s got us on the line.
