That place on I-80 at the Nevada/California border has an “All You Can Eat Lobster Buffet”.
Yowza! All I can say…
The Canadian Red Lobsters have a shockingly reduced menu since the supply chain issues of COVID. When they re-opened, anything I liked was gone. There’s like one type of fish now. I used to love Cajun-style rainbow trout, now I have to settle for bland tilapia. I cross the border a few times a year, did so this past weekend, and I always go to RL and get the trout.
I saw that meme about the hedge fund literally 48 hours after my last (hope it’s not my last EVER) meal at the restaurant.
Every time I head back to my hometown to see my family, a trip to Red Lobster is a must-do, so I was pleased when I checked the list of which places were being closed immediately and didn’t see that one. The town where I currently live used to have a Red Lobster, but it closed years ago. I drive past its empty husk on the way to the office.
The number of national chains has gone way up in the past 40 years, too. Regional chains were my goto in the past; they were good enough that they had multiple locations but also something I couldn’t get at home. Ummm, why do I want to be away & eating at a restaurant & get the exact same thing I could get at home (where, ironically, I hardly every go out to restaurants)
I agree that the fish selections seem to be down to salmon or fish ‘n’ chips nowadays.
And this isn’t just a Red Lobster problem, but restaurant fish & chips these days is almost always cod or tilapia, and it’s usually breaded. Finding beer-battered halibut is like striking oil these days.
Not sure about your store, but halibut around here is like $28/#, so that makes it tough. Haddock is the OG, anyway, but although it’s available, we fished that species out pretty good.
I’ve seen some places on the coast of California that offer a choice of either cod or halibut, both beer battered. Phil’s Fish Market, for example. The halibut is significantly more expensive, but it is available. I agree you’d never find that at a chain restaurant, though.
Last time I visited our local seafood market halibut was $16.99/pound, but I live in western WA where we have ready access to fresh seafood.
I always thought cod was the traditional fish for fish & chips. I learned something new today.
Speaking of lobster:
I thought cod and haddock (and sometimes flounder) were all traditional choices for fish & chips.
Agreed! Their premise is that, once you lure them in with the deal, they will decide that they like the place and the food and continue to come in on regular nights, also. The idea is to sacrifice financially up front but more than make up for it over time. If it doesn’t work, it just hastens their financial demise.
But it’s stupid. If you charged twenty bucks for two or three dishes and an additional two bucks for each extra (or similar wholesale price), most would be fine with that. If people are coming and staying for three hours, limit that. Of course, AYCE ain’t the real cause and even if it was, promotions could be stopped.
Before Covid if you asked how much extra it would cost to add popcorn or garlic butter shrimp to your meal, it was C$4, or something pretty reasonable, which were retail prices.
I find that fish sandwiches are usually breaded but fish & chips are usually beer-battered. Agree that it’s almost never halibut. Actually I don’t think I’ve ever seen it be halibut.
Quite common in Canada, roughly twice the price of cod, which is still often (but not always) the cheapest option.
That didn’t ring a bell to me, either, and google says that cod is a traditional fish and chips fish, but is itself becoming less common in favor of haddock due to price.
Out of nine Red Lobster locations in Washington state, the only one that’s currently been closed down is the one near me. I will not mourn the loss. We’ve got Duke’s and Anthony’s local chains, and a multitude of individual seafood houses that were always better anyway.
For fish & chips, cod is the default fish and my favorite when it’s done right. While many places here have multiple fish options, plenty just stick to cod. I’m picky about it, so it took me years to find a good place for it up here outside of Seattle proper.
True. I came across this menu for Stanley Park Brewing in Vancouver, where the fish & chips are beer-battered cod, but the fish sandwich is panko-crusted halibut.
It is. But many prefer Halibut and now that the Cod populations has been depleted, other fish are being used, such as Haddock.
You are correct sir.