The recent announcement that struggling seafood chain Red Lobster is closing at least 48 of its roughly 650 locations across 21 states signals larger troubles for mid-market dining chains. As consumers increasingly favor quick, affordable fast food or higher-end dining experiences, the “middle ground” occupied by the likes of Red Lobster is shrinking. In this article we talk about Los angeles Red Lobster made a mistake by offering customers all-you-can-eat shrimp.

Industry experts point to Red Lobster’s well-intentioned but costly “Endless Shrimp” promotion as symptomatic of the broader challenges squeezing casual chains. While intended to draw more diners in, the all-you-can-eat $20 shrimp offer proved unexpectedly popular, contributing to millions in losses for Red Lobster last year as customers devoured more shrimp than the chain could afford and crowded tables for extended periods.

“It’s a two-edged sword,” said Dennis Gemberling, founder and principal of hospitality industry consultancy Perry Group International. “It drove their market share but ended up costing more than they gained.”

The shrimp promotion pile-on only exacerbated existing vulnerability for Red Lobster and similar chains stemming from more fundamental shifts in consumer dining preferences. Industry analysts highlight two key trends squeezing the casual dining sector:

The Rise of Fast-Casual and Grab-and-Go

Younger demographics in particular are increasingly opting for quicker and cheaper fast food or grab-and-go options over sit-down chain restaurants.

“Anybody under 30, when they’re trying to impress a date they’ll go to a proper restaurant. But otherwise they just want to hang out and graze or do delivery,” Gemberling said. “Gone are the days of the martini lunch.”

The convenience, affordability and on-demand nature of emerging fast-casual chains like Shake Shack or Sweetgreen as well as delivery apps like UberEats are luring younger patrons away from the Red Lobsters of the world. Chains that rely more heavily on in-person table service are being squeezed as a result.

The Rising Appeal of High-End, Experiential Dining

At the same time, full-service dining remains appealing to consumers when positioned as a higher-end, experiential splurge. As more exclusive restaurants do away with weekday lunch in favor of a dinner-only model, they’re capturing more spending from special occasion dining.

“Full-service restaurants are becoming more of a specialty operation – the after-work crowd or for holidays,” Gemberling said. “Everyone else is just looking to graze or do delivery.”

Increasingly patrons are raising their budget when they do opt for a proper sit-down restaurant visit, seeking a more elevated ambiance, Instagram-worthy meals and craft cocktails over the straightforward family-style fare of a Red Lobster.

Chains Caught in the Middle Struggle

So chains like Red Lobster that occupy the middle ground between fast food and fine dining are getting caught in the squeeze between convenience-seeking patrons on one end and experience-seeking patrons on the other.

Making matters worse, the traditional value proposition of casual chains – reasonably priced meals in an in-person, full-service environment – is coming under increasing cost pressure thanks to rising wages, inflationary pressures and volatile food costs.

Seafood in particular carries high and unpredictable costs. Red Lobster’s endless shrimp promo may have backfired spectacularly, but underlying food expenses were already cutting into margins.

Labor costs are also disproportionately challenging for casual dining chains compared to their quick-service counterparts according to Gemberling.

“They depend much more heavily on service staff and have a higher labor ratio per customer than a fast food operation does,” he said. “So if a concept requires more staff, it’s potentially more vulnerable.”

Mandated minimum wage hikes in states like California only turn up the heat further on labor-dependent casual chains.

The combination of rising costs and falling foot traffic has proved lethal for Red Lobster. An endless shrimp deal gone haywire certainly didn’t help. But the chain was already balancing precariously on a narrowing ledge between conflicting consumer preferences.

Industry Consolidation Ongoing – And More Pain Ahead Red Lobster’s contraction is unlikely to be the last. Significant consolidation is already underway across the restaurant industry as margins get squeezed and oversaturation sets in.

“A lot of restaurants that open in the same markets end up cannibalizing each other. That’s their model,” Gemberling said.

The brands best positioned to survive are those that either own the convenient, low-cost end of the market like McDonald’s and Starbucks or those playing at the high-end, experience-driven end like steakhouses and tasting-menu venues.

Mid-market, in-person dining chains that fail to differentiate risk decline. Especially heading into a possible consumer recession, further pain lies ahead for brands caught awkwardly in the middle. They face the peril of businesses offering neither the cheapest nor the most exceptional dining experiences.

The demise of the martini lunch and the middle-market chains that peddled them may indeed be underway. But innovative brands could yet rewrite the script and revive the sector by tapping into modern values like sustainability, creative fare, and community embeddedness.

Those that fail to adapt to the new realities of consumer preferences however will struggle to stay afloat. For a brand like Red Lobster already saddled with punishing shrimp bills, the writing may be on the wall. The next year promises more turbulence for dining’s embattled middle children. I sincerely hope you find this “Los angeles Red Lobster made a mistake by offering customers all-you-can-eat shrimp? What really Happened?” article helpful.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved an ordinance establishing a permitting process for microenterprise home kitchen operations (MEHKOs)—essentially, mini-restaurants run out of private homes. This new regulation provides an avenue for entrepreneurial home cooks to legally and safely prepare and sell food they make in their own kitchens. In this article we talk about What Are the New Regulations and Requirements for selling food From Home Kitchens in LA County.

With the ordinance slated to take effect in November, Los Angeles County residents considering launching a home-based food business should understand the application requirements, fees, operational rules, and other pertinent details.

The California Cottage Food Law and MEHKO Designation The ability for home cooks to sell meals prepared in private residential kitchens gained legal standing in 2019 when California amended its health and safety code to allow microenterprise home kitchen operations. Previously, these types of food sales fell into a legal gray area, although many home cooks sold meals informally. The law change legitimized the practice with appropriate health code oversight.

LA County’s recently approved ordinance establishes the specific regulations at the county level to authorize MEHKOs. Under the ordinance, MEHKOs can produce food items for direct sale to consumers. These home kitchen operations differ from “cottage food operations” that sell certain pre-approved shelf-stable goods like baked items, jams, and jellies. MEHKOs involve perishable foods stored under proper refrigeration.

Permitting Process

To legally run a MEHKO in LA County, the home cook operator must complete the permitting process with the county’s Department of Public Health. This includes:

• Submitting an application with basic information about the operation and paying a $597 application fee
• Undergoing an in-person consultation at the home kitchen to review the site
• Making any necessary upgrades for compliance with state and county health and safety codes
• Passing final inspection by the health department
• Paying an annual $347 health permit fee

Operational Limits

Once permitted, LA County puts certain limits on MEHKOs to regulate their scope as small home-based businesses:

• Can only produce food for direct sales to consumers, not for wholesale
• Limited to operating 6 hours maximum per day
• Can have no more than $50,000 gross annual sales
• Can serve meals for up to 60 individual customers per day
• Must have no more than one full-time equivalent food employee besides resident family members

MEHKOs also have the option of operating as a commissary kitchen to supply up to two food carts, with additional restrictions capping weekly meal production.

Health and Safety Rules

To pass inspection, MEHKO home kitchens must meet requirements adapted from the state health code and designed to prevent foodborne illnesses. Rules cover:

• Proper handwashing setups
• Maintaining cooking equipment in good repair
• Use of commercial refrigeration units
• Ensuring hot and cold food storage meet temperature standards
• Preventing contamination
• Proper waste disposal
• Pest control
• General kitchen cleanliness and organization

MEHKO operators also must complete a state-accredited food safety certification course. LA County health inspectors then perform annual site visits, with additional inspections conducted in response to complaints or suspected issues. Failing to pass an inspection can result in permit suspension or revocation.

Benefits for Home Cooks

The MEHKO permits and regulations allow entrepreneurial home cooks to legally operate small food businesses from their residential kitchens. Benefits of this licensing approach include:

• Provides income opportunities for those with culinary talents
• Lets cooks establish mini-restaurants with much less overhead compared to leasing commercial kitchens or storefronts
• Allows flexibility to accommodate childcare duties, disabilities, or other needs making traditional employment challenging
• Promotes cultural food diversity as home cooks can market ethnic/specialty meals

For many home cooks struggling to get by or supplement their main income, MEHKO licensing offers a legitimate pathway to generate earnings doing something they love while avoiding the prohibitive costs of larger food establishments.

The new LA County ordinance extends this economic lifeline to its residents. Home cooks ready to take the plunge can contact the county’s Department of Public Health to begin the MEHKO permitting process and review the specific health code kitchen standards. With some sweat equity and this affordable permitting option, talented home cooks across LA County soon can start dishing up success from their own kitchens. I sincerely hope you find this “What Are the New Regulations and Requirements for selling food From Home Kitchens in LA County?” article hepful.