It wasn’t the endless shrimp that doomed Red Lobster. How private equity pinched the seafood chain.

Red Lobster has been a renowned seafood chain for decades, but it has seen its fair share of ups and downs. It wasn’t the endless shrimp or other marketing strategies that caused issues; rather, it was the private equity deal that played a significant role in its struggles.

In 2014, Darden Restaurants, the then-parent company of Red Lobster, decided to sell the chain to Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm, for $2.1 billion. The intention was to help