Red Lobster seafood restaurant from the U.S. lands in BKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

fyi, particularly to Americans and those who have lived or stayed there, the popular "common man's" lobster and seafood chain restaurant called Red Lobster has landed in Bangkok, with a new branch opened last fall in the newly rebuilt and reopened Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, a short distance from Asoke BTS, and located at the QSNCC stop on the MRT Blue line.

 

Something I didn't know until I sat down to write this, the Red Lobster chain, although headquartered in Florida and founded in 1968, is no longer American owned and in fact was bought out by a group of investors led by Thai seafood conglomerate Thai Union Group back around 2020, and thus the whole chain is now largely Thai owned! There's a shocker! The chain had about 700 total locations in a recent count, largely in the U.S. but also in various other countries.

 

https://www.thaiunion.com/en/newsroom/press-release/1204/thai-union-investor-group-led-by-international-restaurant-executives-and-red-lobster-management-acquire-red-lobster

 

https://www.facebook.com/redlobsterthailand/

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/red-lobster-now-in-bangkok-to-clog-what-remains-of-your-arteries/

 

 

The wife and I went there for Valentine's Day dinner the other night, and had a quite pleasant, but expensive, dining experience. They serve whole lobsters imported from the U.S. or a two-lobster tail plate with potato and small salad for around 1,500b++. I had the two lobster tail dinner, while the wife had their imported U.S. Angus Beef Ribeye Steak that was priced at 1450b++.

 

I hadn't eaten any lobster, I think, since I moved to Thailand more than a decade ago, so I enjoyed the taste of something I often used to enjoy long ago dipped in melted butter. And, I tasted a bit of the wife's grilled ribeye steak, and it was GOOD!!!  As she noted to me while scarfing it down, very tender and easy to eat, unlike some of the locally sold Thai beef varieties.

 

The bill for the two of us, including some drinks, came to about 4100b, so not something I/we would do every week, but a pleasant special treat. The staff and service was first-rate, including the senior servers who spoke good English. And they had a two for one happy hour on their alcohol and non-alcohol drinks while we were there, though their drinks menu was pretty limited, and unfortunately I believe lacking any imported beers, which seems a strange choice for the restaurant.

 

Frankly, even on Valentine's Day, with most local restaurants packed, the Red Lobster wasn't busy at all when we were there, probably owing largely to their prices. I'm wondering how they're going to remain open after first launching last fall, given that while the QSNCC may have convention type events periodically with international clientele, they're not having them every day. And the whole huge center was pretty empty and unused on the night we were there.

 

I know there's a couple of other lobster-oriented restaurants now open in BKK, including a place called Lobster Lab with a couple branches:

 

https://bk.asia-city.com/restaurants/bangkok-restaurant-reviews/lobster-lab-sala-daeng

 

And another place in Gaysorn Plaza across from Central World -- Burger and Lobster:

 

https://www.burgerandlobster.com/locations/bangkok/gaysorn-village/

 

Burger and Lobster's lobster prices are even higher than those at Red Lobster, and I'm not sure where they're sourcing their lobsters from.

 

At any rate, here was our check from the night:

 

 

 

And here are their menu photos for our two dinner items, which are accurate depictions of what they actually serve:

 

 

 

Though keep in mind, to add 17% to their menu prices because of the added 10% service charge and 7% VAT.

 

 

[Lemsta69]

44 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

add 17% to their menu prices

actually you gotta add 17.7% to the base price because VAT is levied on the base price plus the service charge.

 

so normally you'd multiply the base price by 1.177 to get the total. in this case the calculation is slightly different because of the way they've discounted the happy hour drinks. they comped you the drinks but still charged service fee for them, something I've not seen before.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

 they comped you the drinks but still charged service fee for them, something I've not seen before.

Ouch!  And VAT too... I hadn't noticed that.... Thanks for the tipoff...

 

TBH, drinks are NOT their strong suit there....  They could and should do better.

 

 

[Jingthing]

Interesting. 

Of course in the US that is a middlebrow corporate chain that would never even be reviewed by serious food writers.

I guess I'll have to get by on memories of my trip to Ogunquit Maine when I pigged out on seriously good and shockingly cheap lobsters. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Interesting. 

Of course in the US that is a middlebrow corporate chain that would never even be reviewed by serious food writers.

I guess I'll have to get by on memories of my trip to Ogunquit Maine when I pigged out on seriously good and shockingly cheap lobsters. 

As I noted in my review above, I referred to RL as a "common man's" seafood chain, which I think is suitable...

 

That notwitstanding, their US Angus ribeye steak was excellent... and their lobster was a treat from the U.S. that I've missed for more than a decade....

 

I guess I should ask...if anyone knows... is there any kind of Thailand bred lobster industry? If so, how do they taste, and how are they priced?  I generally don't eat Thai seafood period, so I've never gone down that road.

 

PS - You may recall, Taco Bell of all places got tons of reviews and writeups when one of the Thai hi-so families launched their first Taco Bell outlets here....

 

It based on that "taste from home" novelty factor, not whether such places have earned Michelin stars... ????

 

 

 

[TheAppletons]

Interesting that they charged you for the cheddar cheese biscuits (which I used to enjoy).

 

A couple of years back at Red Lobster in Kuala Lumpur the biscuits were provided free of charge to each table as a "starter" of sorts, much like chips and salsa are provided gratis at many Mexican joints.

[Lemsta69]

32 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Ouch!  And VAT too... I hadn't noticed that.... Thanks for the tipoff...

 

TBH, drinks are NOT their strong suit there....  They could and should do better.

 

 

I'm from Australia where until recently separate service charges didn't exist and the 10% GST is included in the menu price.

 

On previous trips to LOS I either never went to 'posh' places where they quote prices before service and VAT or I didn't notice.

 

Now that I'm retired and have too much time on my hands I can amuse myself with little challenges like how to calculate my bills to the satang ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, TheAppletons said:

Interesting that they charged you for the cheddar cheese biscuits (which I used to enjoy).

Kinda half right and half wrong...

 

Here at the Thailand outlet, they provide ONE biscuit for free with each dinner... So we got those, one apiece. But I also ordered a basket of an additional 4 for us to snack on while we were waiting for our meals.

 

So, AFAICT, the deal there was... If we had just sat down and ordered our dinners only, they wouldn't have provided any biscuits to the table upfront. But they would have brought one with each dinner when they served the dinners...

 

Oddly, they have sets that you can order to go... But in the restaurant, other than the freebies, they only sell them individually at 35b a pop.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

13 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

A couple of years back at Red Lobster in Kuala Lumpur the biscuits were provided free of charge to each table as a "starter" of sorts, much like chips and salsa are provided gratis at many Mexican joints.

Were the starter freebie biscuits unlimited at the RL in KL, or just like a single opening basket?

 

PS - You might think given that the Thailand branch's entrees primarily are 1100 to 1600 baht ++ range, that they could be a bit more generous with their biscuits!  ????

 

PPS - It looks like the standard practice at the US branches is to provide TWO biscuits for free with each entree, and then pay for extra after that. So Thailand's being a bit more stingy!

 

From the RL US website:

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Interesting...

 

RL online in the U.S. for Los Angeles is selling their whole live Maine lobster dinner for almost $40 U.S. (not including local sales tax and tip)

 

 

The (presumably, though they don't give you any weights on the lobster here) same dinner here is priced at 1,350b before tax and tip, which equates to about $41 U.S.

[Lemsta69]

22 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I guess I should ask...if anyone knows... is there any kind of Thailand bred lobster industry? If so, how do they taste, and how are they priced?

We went to Mango Tree on Surawong the other week for a friend's birthday. They have something called a Pad Thai Phuket Lobster that they were charging the princely sum of ฿2,900++ for Medium and ฿3,800++ for Large.

 

Too rich for my blood so we didn't get one. I saw one being delivered to a table and it didn't look very impressive so unless I find a hi-so girlfriend I won't be trying it any time soon.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just now, Lemsta69 said:

They have something called a Pad Thai Phuket Lobster that they were charging the princely sum of ฿2,900++ for Medium and ฿3,800++ for Large.

Ouch!  That makes the RL versions from Maine seem like a bargain!

 

BTW, I did have the vague feeling that somewhere along its coast Thailand had a lobster industry... But I don't think those are a big item among the locals, especially at those prices!

 

[stoner]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Ouch!  And VAT too... I hadn't noticed that.... Thanks for the tipoff..

this is exactly what they count on. 

[d4dang]

they used to sell Morton Bay Bugs at seafood restaurants calling them lobsters...even five star hotels....good stuff

[still kicking]

6 minutes ago, d4dang said:

they used to sell Morton Bay Bugs at seafood restaurants calling them lobsters...even five star hotels....good stuff

Morton Bay bugs are not Lobsters don't even look like it 

[1FinickyOne]

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Interesting. 

Of course in the US that is a middlebrow corporate chain that would never even be reviewed by serious food writers.

I guess I'll have to get by on memories of my trip to Ogunquit Maine when I pigged out on seriously good and shockingly cheap lobsters. 

Stirring something from years ago:

 

Was there a famous place called Lobster Barn in Oqunquit? Or was that on Cape Cod? Maybe P-town?

[Jingthing]

14 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Stirring something from years ago:

 

Was there a famous place called Lobster Barn in Oqunquit? Or was that on Cape Cod? Maybe P-town?

I wouldn't remember.

I do remember eating too many lobsters for one time in my life.

My go to place had a beach view.

I also remember a traumatic Annie Hall type of experience on a side trip to New Hampshire cooking the biggest live lobster you can ever imagine after watching it crawl all over the kitchen floor. Super big means very old which means not tasty. Murder in boiling water she wrote 

[TheAppletons]

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

<SNIP>

 

PPS - It looks like the standard practice at the US branches is to provide TWO biscuits for free with each entree, and then pay for extra after that. So Thailand's being a bit more stingy!

 

<SNIP>

 

This is what we got in KL.  Complimentary small basket of four biscuits for the two of us when we sat down.  

 

I don't eat much bread any more but I'd probably make an exception for a couple of those biscuits.

[jerrymahoney]

I was just looking at RL and the Lobster Lab for my next trrip to Bangkok from the Isaan hinterlands.

 

2 tidbits:

 

My late father was a golfing buddy of one of the original RL founders at the original RL from Lakeland FL.

 

One of the best places I had to eat lobster was Denver, CO. If there was a bumper lobster crop, the wholesalers would often send the excess away from the US east coast as to not depress the prices there. Then 'cheap as chips' in Denver.

[BananaStrong]

8 hours ago, Jingthing said:

never even be reviewed by serious food writers.

I'm a serious food writer.    I have reviewed Red Lobster in AMERICA ONLY!!!!!

 

In Thailand, I'm sure the best of the best of the best don't sue in.

 

In America, absolute overpriced garbage.  horrible.  worst of the worst of the worst.   

[NanLaew]

4 hours ago, still kicking said:

Morton Bay bugs are not Lobsters don't even look like it 

Slap that on the plate at any 5-star hotel chain restaurant along with the sides orders, call it lobster tail and most customers won't argue the difference.

[NanLaew]

6 minutes ago, BananaStrong said:

I'm a serious food writer.    I have reviewed Red Lobster in AMERICA ONLY!!!!!

 

In Thailand, I'm sure the best of the best of the best don't sue in.

 

In America, absolute overpriced garbage.  horrible.  worst of the worst of the worst.   

Waiting with baited breath for the review of Long John Silver's in Pattaya.

[josephbloggs]

8 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Interesting...

 

RL online in the U.S. for Los Angeles is selling their whole live Maine lobster dinner for almost $40 U.S. (not including local sales tax and tip)

 

 

 

That looks like the blandest plate of food ever.

[d4dang]

8 hours ago, still kicking said:

Morton Bay bugs are not Lobsters don't even look like it 

I know that they are not lobsters

[d4dang]

Just now, d4dang said:

I know that they are not lobsters....only the tail was served so most people didn't know...an Aussie told me

 

[warrima]

I lived and worked in KL for a good few years. Always amazed me the amount of US chain type restaurants and grills there compared to Bangkok. Chilis, TGI Fridays, Outback Steak house, Tony Romas etc. I know the last 2 were in Bangkok for a time - but only a few outlets and they never lasted. Actually quite miss Outback steakhouse at Discovery. 

 

I think if RL couldn't make it work in KL it wont last long in BKK. 

 

IHOP didnt last long. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, warrima said:

IHOP didnt last long. 

I think IHOP, which I really liked during its tenure here, was a victim of unfortunate timing just as they were getting going, i.e. the pandemic killing tourism and the related COVID lockdowns and operating restrictions.

 

Interesting to read in past news clippings, the Thai company that had, probably still has, the franchise rights here had public plans back in 2019 to open 10 Thailand locations by 2021. I think they got up to 3 or 4 before things went south.

 

https://qsrmedia.asia/franchising/news/ihop-franchisee-in-thailand-plans-open-10-sites-2021

 

I'm hoping they'll resurface here at some point.... I can say from personal experience, they were not just popular with farangs/Americans but a lot of Thais liked their pancakes as well.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

For the few above who are poo pooing Red Lobster, if you have better value suggestions for where to find/eat imported Maine Lobster in Bangkok, please do tell....

 

[FarAngMoh]

As often happens in Asia, what’s ordinary back home can suddenly become wildly noteworthy over here; not just because it’s from far away “exotic” lands… but rather — it doesn’t take much to beat the pants off wannabe Western restaurants here. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The wife and I stopped by Dean & DeLuca in BKK this weekend, and low and behold, what did we find on their menu but whole and half Maine LOBSTERS!  And at about the same prices at those from Red Lobster above.

 

Snaps from the D&D menu: