Red Lobster’s CEO has revamped the menu with ‘plenty under $20,’ including $5 margaritas, and the masses are rejoicing

Unlimited shrimp may still be off the menu for the foreseeable future, but seven new dishes and three new cocktails have been added.

Red Lobster’s new CEO, Damola Adamolekun, has revamped the menu with “plenty under $20.”

On Monday, June 23, the restaurant chain announced its long-awaited revamped menu, including brand new items like decadent seafood boils and overflowing crab-topped dishes, and the return of tried-and-true favorites like “Crab Your Way” and $5 margaritas as part of its annual Crab Fest promotion. 

Ahead of the big reveal, Adamolekun, who took over the lead role of the company in 2024, appeared in a commercial to promote the new menu.

“It’s a new day and we’re making changes we think you’ll be happy with,” the 36-year-old CEO explained in the commercial as he stepped from a regal office into a Red Lobster dining room. 

Discussing the changes further with Bloomberg, he stressed that the chain restaurant will remain affordable and “approachable” as it attempts to rebound after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024 and closing over 100 of its locations nationwide. 

“We want to have a core value offering at all times. We say ‘there’s plenty under $20’ on our menu, which is true and which is something that we want to make sure we continue to have,” the restaurant executive told the outlet.  

In addition to multiple different seafood boils, the seven new menu items also include crab-stuffed mushrooms, Steak Oscar, and Salmon Oscar. Meanwhile, three new cocktails have been added to the drink menu, including Purple Haze by Dre & Snoop (using gin created by the rap stars and lemonade), Passion Star Spritz (vodka and passionfruit), and Starry Eyed Surprise (tequila-based).

Adamolekun, who stepped into the role in August 2024 after a very successful tenure as the CEO of P.F. Changs, is looking to restore Red Lobster to its place as the largest restaurant chain. Right away, he hit the ground running by making small yet high-impact changes, like changing the music to improve the ambiance. His efforts may be working. The chain removed the notorious all-you-can-eat shrimp from the menu and exited bankruptcy in September.

Since the announcement of the revamped menu, excitement for the return of Crab Fest, $5 Happy Hour, and more has been palpable online. 

“Red Lobster is about to have seafood boil bags, a sangria flight, and $5 drinks. Whew, that new CEO came in the door swinging,” a user wrote in a post on X.

Another user on X added, “The new Red Lobster CEO is definitely finna make me go back and dine in.”

“I see what the CEO of Red Lobster trying to do. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks,” commented someone else on the same platform. 

Over on Threads, the author Deesha Philyaw made a playful reference to Beyoncé’s infamous “Formation” lyric when she wrote, “Might have to take his a— to Red Lobster.” 

“Ok so who’s going to red lobster w me ,” another commented on the same website.