I went to Red Lobster and saw why the chain has struggled — and what it could change

• Red Lobster says that it will emerge from bankruptcy later this month.
• Now, the chain has to find a new strategy to bring in customers that’s not just endless shrimp.
• I visited a Red Lobster restaurant in the Washington, DC, area to see what dining there is like now.

Over the past several years, restaurant chain Red Lobster has gotten attention for one thing: the promise of endless shrimp.

As recently as last year, diners could pay $20 for all of the shrimp they could eat. But while customers loved it (maybe too much), the deal led to losses for Red Lobster’s former parent company.

The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, but Red Lobster says that it’s now on track to emerge this month from bankruptcy with new ownership, a new CEO, and fewer locations. It just has to figure out a strategy to win customers back — and make money this time.