Guest feedback has prompted Red Lobster to increase the size of its shrimp offerings.
The foodservice chain announced on 23 November that it would be offering what it calls “Bigger, Better Shrimp” with its Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp Skewer dishes. What’s more, the Shrimp Skewers will now be prepared with a new skewering technique, known as double-piercing, which provides greater surface area for consistent cooking and more room for saucing, said the company.
These changes will affect almost 70 percent of the Red Lobster menu, which hosts a great deal of lunch and dinner entrees that feature or include shrimp.
"As the world's largest seafood restaurant, we serve a lot of shrimp – over 80 million servings per year – and our guests love it. But we started to hear from them that our shrimp had become somewhat ordinary," said Salli Setta, President of Red Lobster. "Our guests shared they wanted Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp Skewers to be bigger, so we increased the size. And, they wanted them to be better, so we changed our preparation to improve taste and give the shrimp a better bite. We know guests are going to love these changes so much so that they will have another great reason to visit Red Lobster."
The shrimp in question, particularly that used in the Shrimp Scampi and for the Shrimp Skewers, will be 47 to 86 percent larger than it has been previously. The Ultimate Feast and Seaside Shrimp Trio will also feature the “Bigger, Better Shrimp.”
Preparation and presentation for the Shrimp Scampi, and a number of other menu items, has also been tweaked – the scampi dish is now handcrafted in-house using Red Lobster's classic scampi sauce that's buttery and freshly prepared with white wine and garlic, said the chain.
"We knew shrimp size and preparation needed to go hand-in-hand in order to wow guests, so we made improvements to both and trained our restaurant teams to prepare these items with excellence," concluded Danielle Connor, SVP of Menu Strategy and Culinary Development. "Guest passion and excitement around these items has been fantastic. We are really proud to bring them Bigger, Better Shrimp and positively impact their dining experience."
