Red Lobster Opens Ghost Kitchen

Red Lobster is opening its first ghost kitchen, located in South Loop Chicago. The ghost kitchen will be a delivery-only location, serving craveable classics via Red Lobster’s third-party delivery partners – including Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates.

As restaurants face the realities of doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re increasingly leaning in to off-premises. The ghost kitchen has emerged as one of the restaurant industry’s fastest growing trends, enables Red Lobster to evolve its off-premise capabilities, including touchless delivery, and efficiently expand its presence in urban areas and in areas where it doesn't have a brick-and-mortar location. The delivery-only restaurant model reflects Red Lobster’s investment in innovation and technology to keep up with the rapidly growing consumer demand for food delivery.

Tripling Off-Premise Sales

"We tripled our off-premise sales in the two years before COVID-19 began, and we’ve tripled them again over the last eight months," said CEO Kim Lopdrup. "Opening a ghost kitchen is a natural next step in expanding our off-premise business. It will allow us to reach new customers who want great seafood with a touchless off-premise experience.”

Downtown Chicago residents and visitors can place delivery orders all week from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm CT. Menu options include guest favorite seafood dishes, and of course, Red Lobster’s signature Cheddar Bay Biscuits.