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America's foremost casual dining seafood chain is currently navigating a rough patch at sea. After in April, the company went ahead and did so in May after citing crushing business losses from its popular promotion. While the company has publicly blamed the affordable all-you-can-eat option as contributing to its financial downfall, reports have surfaced that the situation was actually much more complicated.

Thailand-based seafood company Thai Union (which owns brands like Chicken of the Sea) is Red Lobster's biggest investor, but it stands in a unique position in that it is also a major supplier to the chain, providing breaded shrimp to the company. reports that behind the scenes, Thai Union eliminated the other two breaded shrimp vendor options that sold shrimp to Red Lobster, thus driving up its ingredient purchasing price, which caused further financial stress for the restaurant. Corporate drama aside, that means we diners have to contend with the fact that the company has shuttered nearly 100 locations so far, with an additional 135 closures possibly on the way.



It's hard not to be nervous about the possibility of losing access to the joy of salty, buttery Cheddar Bay biscuits forever, but one unlikely celebrity has stepped up to the plate to try and singlehandedly pull Red Lobster from the brink of destruction: Flavor Flav. He's infusing the chain with cash by ordering enormous amounts of food, and he might be involved in future marketing efforts to resuscitate the bran.

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