COMMUNITY GIVING

Red Lobster has always been committed to serving the communities in which we live and work. We are a company with a conscience, and service, beyond just our food, has always been at the heart of our business.

Our Community Relations program celebrates the diversity that makes us the company we are today and the diversity that exists within the local communities we call home. It also represents our ongoing commitment to living our core values and is focused on supporting our giving pillars: Food, Families and Oceans.

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Red Lobster has several well-established programs in place to support our people and our communities.

Food

Through our RL Shares program, we donate unused, wholesome food to local food pantries and community organizations every week. Since the program started, we’ve donated about 20 million meals.

Families

We support each other in times of need through our RL Cares Employee Emergency Assistance Fund. Our employees voluntarily donate to the fund, which helps team members cover unexpected expenses and financial hardship.

Oceans

Red Lobster is committed to supporting efforts to ensure there’s seafood to enjoy, now and for generations. Below are just some examples of this work.

Maine Lobster

We proudly support University of Maine’s collaborative research with the lobster industry to improve understanding of how the lobster’s earliest life stages respond to changes in the environment and the implications of those changes for the future of the fishery. Over the long term, the research is expected to help better understand the role a warming ocean plays on the changing distribution and abundance of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine.

Rock Lobster

Our partnership with World Wildlife Fund is helping improve the sustainability of Rock lobster fisheries through fishery improvement projects (FIPs) in the Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Honduras and Nicaragua – and helping to safeguard marine wildlife, the natural environment and the livelihoods of people who depend on ocean resources.

Ocean Conservation

We currently work with Ocean Conservancy, a leading ocean conservation nonprofit, to support the protection and preservation of the world’s oceans. Our partnership is specific to two programs: The Global Ghost Gear Initiative, which focuses on driving solutions to the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear, and the Trash Free Seas Alliance®, which unites leaders to mitigate plastic waste entering the oceans.

In addition to these corporate-led programs, our restaurants provide four types of support in their local communities:

  • Red Lobster Gift Cards
  • Red Lobster Gift Baskets
  • Dine-to-Donate Events
  • In-Kind Food Donations

All requests require organizations to be a 501c3 and aligned with at least one of our key giving pillars. Organizations must represent that their projects, programs and activities for which they are seeking funding do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Red Lobster does not commit resources to any of the following:

  • Not exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
  • Organizations outside of our four philanthropic areas
  • Individuals
  • Private charity or private foundations
  • Religious organizations, unless the program will benefit a large portion of a community without regard to religious affiliation
  • Political causes, candidates, organizations or campaigns
  • Organizations whose primary purpose is to influence legislation
  • Any commercial business purposes

Our Corporate office handles national requests and requests specific to the Orlando, FL community where we are based. Organizations are asked to submit requests for engagements and donations to:

REDLOBSTERDONATIONS@REDLOBSTER.COM

All local requests are handled by the General Managers of our local restaurants, who can best evaluate the requests for their communities. Please contact the General Manager of your local Red Lobster to further discuss your request.