Red Lobster history

Despite only existing for two years, the partners sold Red Lobster — the entire chain — in 1970.

In 1973, entrepreneur John L. Williams purchased a Quality Inn in Adel, Georgia, which also made him the landlord of the attached (and successful) Green Frog restaurant.

And neither of them are associated with Fishbone, who started in 1979.

The original Green Frog closed in Waycross in 1981.

Bill Darden stayed on with General Mills until 1983.

Can you imagine a trip to Red Lobster without a few baskets of the famed Cheddar Bay Biscuits? The legendary biscuits were first introduced in 1988 as an alternative to the restaurant’s hushpuppies.

After his death in 1994, General Mills hatched a plan to create a new company for their restaurant arm.

According to ABC News, Darden Group started funding the Australian Research Council's work in developing lobster farming programs way back in 1998, and it took a pretty shocking 16 years before researchers were able to raise lobsters in captivity.

In 2002, they only allowed 172 million pounds of snow crab to be caught.

In 2003, Red Lobster held a $20 Endless Snow Crab promotion, similar to Endless Shrimp.

Darden Restaurants announced its plans to create Darden Aquafarm, the world’s first commercial lobster fishery, in 2012.

Just a fluke? A group from The Huffington Post tried it in 2013, and one person alone downed a staggering 101 shrimp.

With Endless Shrimp being most definitely endless, you'd think that was the flaw in their business plan. It wasn't, and when Red Lobster flailed in 2014, it wasn't because of the quantity of shrimp they went though, it was because of their costs.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s 2015 Xtreme Eating Awards named one of Red Lobster’s “Create Your Own Combination” meals as one of the worst things you could be eating.