Red Lobster’s bankruptcy and whether flashy marketing moves can work Extra Serving: A restaurant industry podcast

This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about Red Lobster’s bankruptcy.
It may be the biggest news of the week, but it’s also the least surprising: Red Lobster has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In court documents, Red Lobster CEO Jonathan Tibus said that Red Lobster’s seafood supplier, Thai Union, which is also its largest shareholder, may have had corporate mismanagement and possible shady dealings. A filled with rumor and speculation has, as we found out through court documents, become quite complicated and dramatic.
Read more about Red Lobster’s demise from Bret Thorn:
·     It wasn’t just ‘Ultimate Endless Shrimp’ that drove Red Lobster to bankruptcy
Also, the NRN editors once again spoke about marketing. Reminiscent of IHOP’s IHOb move a few years ago, BurgerFi changed its name to ChickenFi this week to promote its new chicken sandwiches. While it may seem silly, the name change worked for IHOP and led them to sell four times as many burgers. Will it work for BurgerFi and chicken sandwiches?
For some of our editors’ thoughts on the National Restaurant Association Show, check out these episodes of First Bite:
·     Joanna Fantozzi on the tech scene
·     Alicia Kelso on the labor picture
This week’s guest is Sherif Mityas, CEO of Brix Holdings.