Beyoncé has been dragged into the conversation surrounding the collapse of Red Lobster, after more than 50 of the company’s restaurants were abruptly closed to the public on Monday.
On Monday, restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was leading the closure of more than 50 Red Lobster locations throughout the U.S. and auctioning their kitchen equipment and furniture. On Tuesday, Restaurant Business Magazine reported that about 99 Red Lobster locations were closing—roughly 15 percent of the company’s presence in the U.S.
The closures followed years of Red Lobster struggling with declining sales and profits, significant debt, unfavorable lease terms and repeated turnover of executives who didn’t solve the company’s problems. Newsweek has contacted representatives of Red Lobster via email for comment.
As the sudden closure of the restaurants became a talking point on social media, Grammy-winning singer Beyoncé was dragged into the conversation due to a choice raunchy line in her 2016 hit single “Formation.”
In the track, which was released without forewarning with an accompanying music video, the former Destiny’s Child star sang: “When he f*** me good, I take him to Red Lobster.”
Such was the impact of the line at the time that Red Lobster responded on X, sharing a post that suggested a rename of one of their most-popular dishes in her honor. “‘Cheddar Bey Biscuits’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? #Formation @Beyonce,” the post read.
