Red Lobster is testing a new lunch format at select restaurants in Florida, something different than the traditional server-run dining experience. It's called the Seaside Express, and the format is along the lines of regular lunch-counter arrangement, as in you - the customer - orders food at the counter instead of dealing with a server. You can seat yourself in a designated "Express" area and wait for the food to be delivered to the table.
Do not mistake the lunch counter format with buffet, though. The new Seaside Express menu has a price range of $6.99 to $8.99, and includes colorful items like lobster grilled cheese, barbecue shrimp flatbread, salads and more.
"The Seaside Express menu is all new and allows guests to make their own lunch combinations from sandwiches, salads, soups and more, all freshly prepared and made-to-order," said Heidi Schauer, a spokesperson for parent company Darden Restaurants, Inc. "We'll continue to offer the full-service Red Lobster experience for guests who prefer that."
Making a late but casual entry into the game of quick-and-go restaurant service, Red Lobster has decided it's time to give it shot, following other chains like Denny's "Fresh Express grab-and-go" experiment, and Applebee's "Express Lunch" counter.
Many full-service restaurant chains are adapting to the new expedient and casual dining experience, for lunch, that is. Red Lobster's new format, if it it succeeds, will have invariable competitors, like Chipolte Mexican Grill and Panera Bread, excluding the undenying presence of fast-food chains.
"We recognize we are not just competing with McDonald's and Burger King and the other burger players," said Steve Hare, chief financial officer for Wendy's.
Fortunately, Red Lobster will continue to have an edge over similar restaurants when people would rather enjoy some express seafood instead of greasy hamburgers during a quick lunch break.
