Red Lobster Enjoys Sales Surge After Beyoncé Song Mention
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami/AP) — Red Lobster says it's feeling the "Beyonce Bounce" after the seafood chain announced a 33 percent sales increase on Super Bowl Sunday compared to the previous year.
The increase came after the release of Queen Bee's new song, "Formation," in which she says she took a man to Red Lobster after sex. It's hard to imagine hordes of people rushing to Red Lobster after hearing the song, but the chain says it's sure the mention is responsible for at least part of its sales jump.
Other factors also likely helped. Red Lobster notes this year's winter wasn't as harsh, meaning people were likely more willing to head out to restaurants. And the chain is running a "Lobsterfest" promotion that it didn't last year.
The pop culture spotlight from Beyoncé is nevertheless a welcome change for Red Lobster, which was sold by Darden Restaurants in July of 2014 after it suffered ongoing declines in sales. The chain, which is now privately held by investment firm Golden Gate Capital, says it has posted sales gains every quarter since the separation.
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And after the mention by Beyoncé, it says it was also a trending topic on Twitter for the first time.
"It's clear that Beyoncé has helped create some Red Lobster fans, and we are very grateful to her for that," Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup said in a statement.
Erica Ettori, a Red Lobster representative, said she could not "confirm or deny" whether the chain has reached out to superstar, but noted that things were "moving fast."
Regardless, the chain is already trying to make the most of its moment, noting that lobster is considered a romantic food.
"Cheddar Bey Biscuits" has a nice ring to it, don't you think? #Formation @Beyonce pic.twitter.com/QzgVtYAKNo
— Red Lobster (@redlobster) February 7, 2016
The tweet had more than 14,000 retweets as of Wednesday afternoon, but some mocked Red Lobster for taking several hours to respond, only to come up with something they deemed underwhelming.
Red Lobster, based in Orlando, Florida, has more than 700 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
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