A Red Lobster customer was left disappointed after learning the crab legs platter she ordered weren’t unlimited. Courtney Renae (@iamcourtneyrenae) chronicled her disappointment in a viral TikTok that’s garnered over 182,000 views.
While the seafood enthusiast was bummed out by this revelation, several folks who commented on her video weren’t surprised.
Renae’s video begins with a recording of a plate of crab legs. Behind the platter of cooked crustacean limbs are some fried mozzarella sticks. According to the text overlay the TikToker posted to her video, however, she was let down by her visit to the seafood chain.
That’s because, Renae says, the business “lied” about offering bottomless crab legs. She expressed her disappointment in a text overlay in the video.
“POV: went to Red Lobster for $20 Tuesday thinking I would get unlimited crab legs. But y’all lied,” she wrote.
As the video progresses, she lifts up the arthopod to reveal what looks like an assortment of cooked potatoes beneath it.
Bottomless crab?
As of this writing, Red Lobster’s website details a variety of promotions. On its Daily Deals page, the franchise presents five different combination platters for a different day of the week.
Renae references in her video that she visited a Red Lobster location on a Tuesday. It appears that she believed the restaurant was offering bottomless crab legs on this day of the week. However, according to the Red Lobster site, the Tuesday promotional meal is called “Crab Your Way.”
The discounted combo platter’s explanation doesn’t state that folks will be offered all-you-can-eat crab legs. Instead, they are given a “full pound of snow crab legs prepared your way.” Additionally, the order description indicates patrons are also given “crispy potatoes” along with their choice of side for $20.
Red Lobster purportedly did, at one point, offer endless crab legs. However, the outlet Kitchen Know How highlighted why the company may never bring back this promotion again due to its “disastrous trial run.”
The outlet wrote that Red Lobster first debuted the discount back in 2003. For $22.99, folks could nab themselves “endless plates of snow crab legs” which were “accompanied by sides and biscuits.”
Bad math
Furthermore, the site writes that at the time, snow crab legs were retailing at wholesale for around $5 per pound. And as it turns out, the price of the promotion, coupled with the cost of raw crab legs, resulted in Red Lobster stores losing money.
Initially, it appears that restaurant locations “failed to anticipate just how much crab” some of its guests could down in one sitting. Quite literally, folks who flocked to Red Lobster for this promotion ate the business out of house and home.
After just three months, bottomless crab legs were pulled from the menu after Red Lobster lost “millions” of dollars. This error in judgment also had trading ramifications as well as the chain’s stock “dropped three dollars per share.”
What’s more is that Red Lobster’s mass purchases of crab legs ended up impacting the crab market. Since these crustaceans aren’t farmed, but caught wild, their supply became limited. As a result, the price of crab legs ended up soaring, costing Red Lobster even more money in the process.
While it doesn’t seem like Red Lobster will ever offer unlimited crab again, the chain still has some bottomless items. Like “endless shrimp,” which came off the menu in November of 2024 due to supply chain issues.
@iamcourtneyrenae It was good tho ngl #foodie #nashvillefoodies #seafood #redlobster ♬ In your eyes Kayarchon remix – KayArchon
Viewers aren’t shocked
Most people who saw Renae’s video said they weren’t shocked to see endless crab legs not offered by the restaurant.
One said, “The last time red lobster did unlimited crab legs, the company almost had to go out of business. Only reason they won’t bring it back.”
Someone else chimed in, “Ain’t enough crabs in the sea to do a 20 dollar unlimited.”
“I don’t even eat seafood and i know $20 for unlimited crab isn’t possible,” another remarked.
One user who said they work at Red Lobster reported that many customers echo Renae’s mistake.
“People confuse the ultimate feast platter as unlimited. I work at a Red Lobster your not the only one it’s a weekly occurrence,” they said.
Nonetheless, some thought that Tuesday’s Ultimate Feast promotion was well worth the value. “But for 2 whole clusters? I’ll be there next week,” another wrote.
“$20 over $40 sum ill take it,” another TikToker replied.
However, one user still thought $20 for that amount of crab wasn’t worth it. “You get more crab for $20.00 at the grocery store,” they said.
Renae also claimed that Red Lobster did, indeed, offer unlimited crab up until recently. However, it appears that the 2003 promotion was the first and last time it was ever offered.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Red Lobster and Renae via email for further comment.
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