All eyes were on Damola Adamolekun, the chief executive officer of Red Lobster Investor Holdings, on Tuesday at Florida International University in Miami-Dade County.
Adamolekun took over the Southern seafood chain’s revival after it exited its Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. The 544- restaurant chain launched seafood boils in June.
“No matter what you do, the best is to be the best at what you do,” Adamolekun, the former chief executive officer of P.F. Chang’s, said.
The 36-year-old former investment banker has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.
“I had the benefit of two great parents. We didn’t grow up rich, but they pushed us to achieve, and I think that’s why I’m here today,” Adamolekun, who is Nigerian American, said. “A lot of people don’t have that, so one thing I can do is to push people.”
Snoop Dogg collaborated with Red Lobster and Dr. Dre for a limited-time 4/20-themed “Side Hustle by Dre + Snoop” cocktail with Skittles priced at $10.31.
“Partnering with people who are, for lack of better words, the coolest in the community, just elevates our brand and helps us connect with more people,” Adamolekun said.
The restaurant is also serving the Ultimate SpendLESS Shrimp special, which replaced the end of the Endless Shrimp.
“It’s not endless because endless put us into bankruptcy, but you spend less, and it’s a massive amount. We have to be financially cognizant of what went wrong last time,” Adamolekun said.
The CEO’s visit was part of the Teach To Fish North Miami Business Summit held from Sunday to Tuesday at the FIU Biscayne Bay campus’s Kovens Conference Center.
