Red Lobster enters first-party catering
A casual-dining seafood chain is launching a first-party (non-corporate) catering offering as it begins implementing a restaurant management platform.
Red Lobster is in the process of reinstalling the Olo restaurant management platform, which it initially installed in 2017, after a brief departure to pursue an in-house-developed digital ordering solution.
The retailer will follow a phased approach designed to maximize operational efficiency and is prioritizing the deploying of the Olo Sentiment reputation management platform. Sentiment aggregates customer feedback across review sites and provides AI-based insights.
Building on this foundation, Red Lobster is also rolling out the Olo Catering+ integrated catering solution, which includes capacity management tools and streamlines operations through automated POS integration, marking the company’s entry into first-party catering ordering.
That launch will be followed by the full implementation of the Olo Order suite of restaurant management solutions by the end of 2025, including the Olo Borderless seamless digital checkout network.
"We're incredibly excited to launch first-party catering for the first time in Red Lobster's history," said Nichole Robillard, chief marketing officer at Red Lobster. "Catering+ will open entirely new revenue opportunities while Sentiment gives us powerful insights to enhance our guest experience across all locations. While we gained valuable learning from our internal development efforts, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Olo again and look forward to what’s to come."
After departing Olo in 2023 to develop its own online ordering infrastructure, Red Lobster discovered that maintaining competitive digital capabilities requires constant enterprise innovation and the integration of emerging technologies and decided to renew its partnership with the solution provider.
"We're honored to welcome Red Lobster back to the Olo platform and excited to support their expansion into first-party catering," said Noah Glass, Founder & CEO at Olo. "Red Lobster's return validates what we've always believed – that restaurants achieve better outcomes when they focus on what they do best: creating exceptional dining experiences. Their decision to come back demonstrates that even the most sophisticated restaurant brands recognize the value of partnering with Olo as their guest-facing tech provider."
[READ MORE: Red Lobster exits bankruptcy new owners, new CEO]
Headquartered in Orlando, Red Lobster operates 544 locations across 44 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces as of Sept. 16, 2024.
