You know summer’s winding down when comfort food starts creeping back onto menus. This week, two fan favorites are returning within days of each other. One’s a shrimp feast, and the other’s a pumpkin bagel that vanished years ago, so if you’ve missed either one, the timing couldn’t be better.
You’re not imagining the pattern. Fans have been asking for both of these for months. Red Lobster’s shrimp deal has built a cult following over two decades.
Einstein’s pumpkin bagel was gone long enough that some fans figured it wasn’t coming back. Now you get both in the same week, right as summer hands off to fall. That’s good news if you’ve been craving either one.
2 Comfort-Food Comebacks, Perfectly Timed
Red Lobster and Einstein Bros. Bagels didn’t coordinate. They landed on the same week for different reasons. Shrimp season and fall menu season just happen to overlap this year.
When two chains you trust bring back what you asked for at the same time, it doesn’t feel like coincidence. It feels like good timing.
Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp Is Back
If you love mixing and matching shrimp all night, mark your calendar. Endless Shrimp returns Aug. 17 for a limited time:
- Mix and match five flavors, including the new Garlic Bread-Crusted Shrimp.
- Classic options include Shrimp Linguini Alfredo, Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Parrot Isle Coconut Shrimp and Walt’s Favorite Shrimp.
- A new seasonal Happy Hour Margarita platform launches too, starting with the $5 Fire & Tide Margarita on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Einstein Bros. Bagels Brings Back Its Pumpkin Bagel
If you’ve missed pumpkin season at Einstein’s, you’re in luck. The Pumpkin Bagel and Pumpkin Shmear return after seven years:
- Digital-exclusive early access starts Aug. 19, three days before the full fall menu drops.
- Kids 7 and younger eat the Pumpkin Bagel and Shmear free on Aug. 22 with any purchase, up to five per transaction.
- The full fall menu arrives nationwide Aug. 26, including a new Pull-Apart Bagel & Shmear and a Creme Brulee Iced Coffee.
So if you’ve been dreaming about garlic bread-crusted shrimp or a pumpkin bagel you haven’t tasted in years, this is your week. Endless Shrimp is dine-in only, and it won’t stick around forever.
Einstein’s early access closes fast too. Get there first, before the rest of the fall menu crowd shows up.