A Red Lobster restaurant in New York Big apple.
Scott Mlyn | CNBC
Restaurant chains from Dunkin’ to Burger King have added vegan hamburgers or sausages from Beyond Food and its privately held rival Impossible Foods to their menus.
But the largest seafood chain in the world is not about to do the unchanging for plant-based seafood products.
“Yes, we have looked into plant-based seafood — it was terrible. And no, we’re not introducing it,” Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup mentioned in an interview.
While Lopdrup said that plant-based foods are dramatically healthier than red meat, he also quoted a Harvard School in of Public Health professor who found that seafood is likely the most important food one can consume for health figure outs.
“We believe we’re already offering something that’s more healthy than these plant-based foods,” Lopdrup held, recommending the chain’s Summer Power Bowl, which has quinoa rice, edamame, berries, almonds and choice of fish.
Dietitians effectiveness agree with him. They recommend eating less processed foods and choosing more whole foods.
Lopdrup didn’t recognition any companies by name, but those operating in the category include Ocean Hugger Foods and Atlantic Natural Foods, in the midst others.
Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, sold Red Lobster to investment firm Golden Admissions Capital for $2.1 billion in 2014.
Since becoming an independent company, Red Lobster has focused on improving its food quality and initiating in its off-premise business, which includes delivery. The seafood chain saw positive same-store sales growth in its last economic year.
“We’re now at the point of growing restaurants again,” Lopdrup said.