A Dialogue on Red Lobster’s revival and cultural significance with CEO Damola Adamolekun
Photo Courtesy of Red Lobster and AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Note: This segment of "Dialogue" features content from an episode of "The 21st Show," which originally aired on July 16, 2025.
Red Lobster, once a global chain with more than 600 locations, filed for bankruptcy last year.
The company has since closed dozens of restaurants, including five in Illinois—Danville, Peoria, and Bourbonnais among them. Twenty-two locations remain open across the state, including in Champaign, Springfield, Bloomington, and Rockford.
Leading the company through its restructuring is 36-year-old CEO Damola Adamolekun. Born in Nigeria, Adamolekun immigrated to the U.S. when he was nine years old. His father was a neurosurgeon — and moved his family to Springfield, Illinois, in the late 1990s. And that is where Damola says he had his first experience of Red Lobster.
For the full conversation with Damola Adamolekun, click here.
__
GUEST:
Damola Adamolekun
- CEO of Red Lobster