Red Lobster sales jumped up 33% after Beyoncé mentioned the seafood diner in her latest song Formation

  • Beyoncé cites Red Lobster in Formation which was released on Saturday
  • In the song, she says she takes a man to the seafood chain after sex 
  • Just 24 hours later, Red Lobster reported year-on-year sales were up 33%
  • For more on Beyoncé's new single visit www.dailymail.co.uk/beyonce

By Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:34 EST, 9 February 2016 | Updated: 17:35 EST, 9 February 2016

Red Lobster has seen a staggering 33 per cent rise in sales just a day after Beyoncé mentioned the seafood diner in her latest song Formation.  

The chain, known for its cheddar biscuits, reported the year-on-year spike in orders on Sunday, 24 hours after the singer released the song online.

In it, she says she goes to the fast food restaurant after sex.

'When he f*** me good I take his ass down to Red Lobster,' she chants - prompting a slew of memes that use the term 'Red Lobster' as a euphemism. 

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO 

Singing in Formation, Beyoncé says she goes to the seafood diner after sex. 'When he f*** me good I take his ass down to Red Lobster,' she chants, prompting a slew of memes that now use 'Red Lobster' as a euphemism

Red Lobster saw a staggering 33 per cent rise in sales on Sunday - just a day after the song's release

Red Lobster saw a staggering 33 per cent rise in sales on Sunday - just a day after the song's release

The Formation video also shows a woman eating shrimp from a Styrofoam box from a street corner

The Formation video also shows a woman eating shrimp from a Styrofoam box from a street corner

It is not immediately clear whether the sales comparison was from the Sunday of the same weekend a year ago, or with February 7, 2015, which fell on a Saturday last year. Sales on Saturdays and Sunday on average may vary.

The pop culture spotlight is no doubt a welcome change for Red Lobster, which was sold by Darden Restaurants in July of 2014 after it suffered ongoing declines in sales. 

The chain, which is now privately held by investment firm Golden Gate Capital, says it has posted sales gains every quarter since the separation.

And after the mention by Beyonce, it says it was also a trending topic on Twitter for the first time.

'It's clear that Beyonce has helped create some Red Lobster fans, and we are very grateful to her for that,' Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup said in a statement.

Red Lobster, based in Orlando, Florida, has more than 700 locations in the U.S. and Canada. 

Erica Ettori, a Red Lobster representative, said she could not 'confirm or deny' whether the chain has reached out to superstar, but noted that things were 'moving fast', as she noted that lobster is considered a romantic food. 

Within minutes of the song's release, Red Lobster was one of the first things listeners seemed to pick up on.

John Legend tweeted a picture of Obama looking pensive, with the words: 'When you realize your dad took your mom to red lobster every week.' 

His pregnant model wife Chrissy Teigen definitely seemed to be a fan of the post as she replied: '@johnlegend this is a good tweet.' 

Red Lobster's own tweet did not go down so well. 

Hours after the song's release, it tweeted: 'Cheddar Bey Biscuits' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?'

The fast food chain disappointed Twitter users with its mediocre joke responding to the song on Sunday

The fast food chain disappointed Twitter users with its mediocre joke responding to the song on Sunday

This was one of thousands of tweets slamming Red Lobster for being slow and lax 

This was one of thousands of tweets slamming Red Lobster for being slow and lax 

Later, the chain responded with this tweet to defend its poor reaction 

Later, the chain responded with this tweet to defend its poor reaction 

It was met with ridicule online.

'yall had hours and this is what yall came up with,' read one tweet that echoed thousands of others. 

Red Lobster have since tried to defend their unsuccessful tweet, first posting: 'You try to bake Cheddar Bay Biscuits and tweet at the same time! #harderthanitlooks #Formation.'

That tweet, however, simply provoked more backlash, the restaurant firm finally admitted they had made a mistake.

'Our bad. We're really busy for some reason. #ThanksB #'

Meanwhile Southwest Airlines - which was not mentioned in the song - was applauded for their tweet reaction.

In reference to her lyric - 'I got hot sauce in my bag, swag.' they tweeted: 'Got hot sauce in your bag? Checked: #SWAg Carryon: 3.4 ounces or less. #Formation.' 


 

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