NEW YORK — It turns out people go to Red Lobster for the seafood.
The struggling chain on Monday announced another revamped menu that removes dishes including Spicy Tortilla Soup and a Wood-Grilled Pork Chop, while tacking on more lobster dishes. The non-seafood dishes had been added by the chain’s previous owner, Darden Restaurants Inc., in hopes of attracting people who don’t like seafood as sales declined.
But the new management thinks that was a mistake.
“At the end of the day, we believe that seafood is really why people come to Red Lobster,” said Salli Setta, Red Lobster’s president.
The revamped menu is 85 percent seafood, up from 75 percent. Red Lobster says the menu will be easier to navigate and features more photos of the food. Four of the five new dishes include lobster, and it’s increasing the shrimp in the popular “Ultimate Feast” platter by 50 percent. The price of the dish, which also includes lobster and crab, will go up by a dollar to $26.99.
The reversal comes after Darden sold Red Lobster to investment firm Golden Gate Capital this summer. Darden, based in Orlando, Fla., which owns Olive Garden, had failed to turn around declining sales and blamed factors such as the availability of shrimp at other restaurants and price-sensitive customers.