The clue is in the name, but Red Lobster isn’t exactly vegan-friendly. The Florida-based chain, which has more than 500 restaurants across the US, specializes in seafood boils, butter-laden dishes, and those famous cheddar biscuits. Vegan options are few and far between. If you don’t want seafood or dairy, you’ll likely have to make do with plain pasta marinara or a baked potato with no toppings. Yeah, we’re struggling to get excited about that, too.
But if you’re craving Red Lobster classics without the animal products, there’s a solution. For one weekend, Street Beet in Detroit is transforming into Red Slobster. The beloved vegan spot will be serving plant-based takes on some of Red Lobster’s most iconic menu items.
“Yes, everything is plant based,” a Street Beet Instagram post reads. “Yes, we got a frozen machine. Yes, we will have lobster bibs.”
Street Beet
From June 17 to June 21, Street Beet will be serving a Red Slobster dinner menu featuring everything from warm cheddar bay biscuits with garlic butter to calamari, lobster rolls, and a shrimp boil, complete with grilled sausages, corn, red potatoes, and garlic butter. For dessert, there’s coconut cream pie, a brownie sundae, and key lime pie.
Needless to say, the new menu went down well with Street Beet’s fans. “This menu is too good,” commented one Instagram user. “I screamed when I saw coconut cream pie.” Another added: “When I eat an entire basket of biscuits by myself, please don’t judge me.”
Street Beet
Street Beet brings vegan comfort food to Detroit
Street Beet was founded as a pop-up in 2018 by chefs Nina Paletta and Megan Shaw, and from the jump, the duo has offered vegan twists on popular chain restaurant menus. One of its first menu series, for example, was called Taco Hell, which featured plant-based versions of the chain’s famous Crunchwraps and burritos.
“One day we were out grocery shopping and drove past a Taco Bell,” Paletta told Detroitisit back in 2018. “Meghan commented about how long the line was, and we joked about the idea of recreating their menu. The joke quickly became reality. Once we made the Facebook event page and started to see the attendee list grow, we knew we were on to something.”
Street Beet
Eight years later, Street Beet has a brick-and-mortar location in Corktown and is expanding into Birmingham and Royal Oak. Its beloved Crunchywrap has earned a permanent spot on the menu, alongside other comfort food favorites like smashburgers and vegan chicken sandwiches. It also serves brunch classics, including club sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and pancakes.
The menu takeovers, like Red Slobster, are also a regular occurrence. In January, Street Beet offered a Chilly’s menu featuring vegan fried mozzarella, chicken crispers, and Big Mouth Bites. In February, there was Olive Guardin’, complete with soup, salad, breadsticks, fried chicken marsala, and fettuccine alfredo.
The Red Slobster menu will be available from June 17 to June 21 for dinner only. (Street Beet’s usual brunch menu will still be available.) Bag your table here.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
