North American seafood-restaurant chain Red Lobster is set to open its first Hong Kong outlet in November – but it is repositioning the brand for the local market.
Red Lobster Hong Kong will follow two other stores in Greater China – at Shanghai and Beijing – all opened by regional partner FWM Restaurants, which operates The Butchers Club. It will open at Causeway Bay.
In the US, Red Lobster is positioned as a casual-dining chain, but Red Lobster Hong Kong will be pitched by FWM as more of a premium offer, according to COO David Martin, speaking to Bloomberg.
The seafood chain is the largest seafood-buying restaurant chain in the world. It was split off by Darden Restaurants in 2014 and is currently owned by Garden State Capital.
Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup said more stores are planned for Greater China which he expects will become a larger market than Canada and Japan for the group.
“We do have some aggressive growth plans, but it all comes down to finding the right sites with appropriate rents,” Lopdrup told Bloomberg. “China is very likely to be our largest international market likely by a pretty wide margin over time.”
FWM is reportedly already seeking locations in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Wuhan, where it already has other restaurant brands operating.