Is there a “best time” to go to Red Lobster? Popular TikToker Hayley Leonard @hayleyybear says there is.
Leonard filmed herself at the seafood chain enjoying crab legs. She claimed the cooks gave her the “best crab” they had because of the time she went. According to Leonard the best time to go to Red Lobster, she learned from experience, is when the restaurant is empty.
“Pro tip, go to Red Lobster when it’s empty and the chefs will give you the best crab,” a text over her video reads. Leonard’s video has been viewed over 186,400 times.
Leonard shared in a comment that she was in the restaurant along with three other families.
Viewers claimed that their local Red Lobster locations are “always empty.” Viewers also questioned how to check if their location is not busy at the time they want to go.
According to Newsweek, “By the end of 2023, Red Lobster’s net losses amounted to more than $22 million, as the company continued to struggle with slumping traffic and rising costs.”
Despite the decline of foot traffic, Red Lobster is making its presence known. It’s using its TikTok account to do so. The official Red Lobster TikTok account commented on Leonard’s video, “All of our crab is the best tho.”
Hayley attested that her experience at Red Lobster was an enjoyable one and encouraged her 4,000 followers to pay it a visit.
@hayleyybear My favorite animal is me eating crab #mukbang #seafood #crabmukbang #seafoodboil #redlobster #crablegs ♬ 15 MINUTES – Madison Beer
Is there really a best time to go to Red Lobster?
There is no hard evidence Red Lobster will serve you better crab at not-busy times. However, there are recommended days and times to go out to eat in general. It is a long-held belief that you’ll get better service on weekdays as restaurant workers aren’t burnt out during the weekend rush. Late chef Anthony Bourdain once said that “It’s on Tuesday that you’ve got the goodwill of the kitchen on your side.”
And if you want to see for yourself if Leonard’s method holds up, you can Google search your local Red Lobster and see its “popular times.” That will tell you which hour is “usually not too busy.”
“Popular times are based on average popularity over the last few months. Popularity for any given hour is shown relative to the typical peak popularity for the business for the week,” Google notes.
The Daily Dot reached out to Red Lobster and Hayley via email.
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