Red Lobster Returns to Olo with Expanded Partnership, Launching First-Party Catering
Seafood leader chooses Olo's integrated platform over homegrown solution to drive operational excellence and new revenue streams
Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO), a leading restaurant technology provider, today announced that Red Lobster has returned to the Olo platform with an expanded partnership that surpasses their original 2017 engagement. After a brief departure to pursue an in-house digital ordering solution, Red Lobster has chosen to rejoin Olo's ecosystem, citing the platform's enhanced capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and ability to keep pace with evolving technology trends. The renewed partnership also marks a significant milestone for Red Lobster as they prepare to launch first-party catering ordering for the first time in the brand's history.
Red Lobster's return to Olo will follow phased approach designed to maximize operational efficiency. The seafood leader has prioritized launching Sentiment, Olo's reputation management platform, which aggregates guest feedback across review sites and provides AI-powered insights, which is currently rolling out across all locations. Building on this foundation, Red Lobster will launch Catering+, Olo's integrated catering solution, which includes capacity management tools and streamlines operations through automated POS integration, marking their entry into first-party catering ordering. That launch will be followed by the full Order suite of products by the end of 2025, including Olo's Borderless network.
"We're incredibly excited to launch first-party catering for the first time in Red Lobster's history," said Nichole Robillard, Chief Marketing Officer at Red Lobster. "Catering+ will open entirely new revenue opportunities while Sentiment gives us powerful insights to enhance our guest experience across all locations. While we gained valuable learning from our internal development efforts, we're thrilled to be partnering with Olo again and look forward to what's to come."
Red Lobster's journey highlights the broader industry trend as restaurant brands increasingly recognize the complexity and ongoing investment required to maintain competitive technology platforms. After departing Olo in 2023 to develop their own online ordering infrastructure, Red Lobster discovered that maintaining competitive digital capabilities requires constant innovation across multiple areas, including security, scalability, reliability, and the integration of emerging technologies. As digital ordering, guest engagement, and data analytics become more sophisticated, many brands are choosing to partner with specialized technology providers rather than develop internal capabilities.
"We're honored to welcome Red Lobster back to the Olo platform and excited to support their expansion into first-party catering," said Noah Glass, Founder & CEO at Olo. "Red Lobster's return validates what we've always believed – that restaurants achieve better outcomes when they focus on what they do best: creating exceptional dining experiences. Their decision to come back demonstrates that even the most sophisticated restaurant brands recognize the value of partnering with Olo as their guest-facing tech provider."
About Olo | Hospitality at Scale™
Olo (NYSE:OLO) is a leading restaurant technology provider with ordering, payment, and guest engagement solutions that help brands increase orders, streamline operations, and improve the guest experience. Each day, Olo processes millions of orders on its open SaaS platform, gathering the right data from each touchpoint into a single source—so restaurants can better understand and better serve every guest on every channel, every time. Over 750 restaurant brands trust Olo and its network of more than 400 integration partners to innovate on behalf of the restaurant community, accelerating technology's positive impact and creating a world where every restaurant guest feels like a regular. Learn more at olo.com.
About Red Lobster
Red Lobster is the world's largest and most-loved seafood restaurant company, headquartered in Orlando, Fla. With a proud heritage, Red Lobster is focused on serving the highest quality, freshly prepared seafood that is traceable, sustainable, and responsibly sourced. To learn more about Red Lobster, including locations and menu options, please visit http://www.redlobster.com or find us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, or TikTok.
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