Beyonce’s Sex-Drenched Red Lobster Shout-Out Boosts Chain’s Sales 33 Percent

“Formation” reference leaves consumers clamoring for a little tail

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 05: Beyonce performs onstage during the 2015 Budweiser Made in America Festival at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 5, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch)
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Apparently, the combination of Beyonce and sex can make a person hungry for seafood.

Beyonce’s mention of Red Lobster in her new song “Formation,” released this weekend, led to a healthy boost for the restaurant chain’s sales on Sunday, the company told TheWrap in a statement on Tuesday.

“What a week Red Lobster is having.  We never expected to be such a hot topic of conversation, and are thrilled to learn that Beyonce and her fans love Red Lobster!” The company told TheWrap. “We’ve been comping up since Formation was released, and we saw a 33% increase in sales on Sunday.  It’s clear that Beyonce’s shout out contributed to that. This is a real testament to the power of pop culture on business.”

The song “Formation,” released Saturday and performed by Beyonce at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, contains the saucy (buttery?) line, “When he fuck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster.”

Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup declared herself “absolutely delighted” with the attention — and business — that the Beyonce tune brought to the restaurant chain.

“We are absolutely delighted with what we saw over the weekend, particularly the consumer sentiment that we saw expressed,” Lopdrup said. “It’s clear that Beyonce has helped create some Red Lobster fans, and we are very grateful to her for that.”

Over the weekend, which saw Red Lobster trend on Twitter for the first time ever, the restaurant chain responded with a bit of wordplay involving Beyonce and the restaurant’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

“‘Cheddar Bey Biscuits’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” the company tweeted. “#Formation @Beyonce.”

The pun was met with less-than-enthusiastic response.

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