3 in my town, one we have actually patronized a couple of times in the last 6 months with the service and food quality at a more than acceptable level.
That particular location has been there since at least the early 80s so they must have been doing something right. A shame really.
That way the CEO and top officers can be paid off along with the lawyers, accountants, and private equity officers because they're going to "add value" to Red Lobster.
Then they "add value" by firing lots of people, cutting the quality and quantity of food, and basically cutting corners as much as possible in order to service the debt.
Then when Red Lobster goes away they can blame the last CEO standing rather than the private equity firm that executed a perfect skim operation.
I took my wife to a Red Lobster one time. Both the food and the service were awful. I recall having to practically beg for some butter to add some flavor to the dry overcooked lobster tail I was served. I can’t understand how they survived as long as they did. Perhaps the unsophisticated American palette allowed it.