Darden Restaurants [1] announced that beginning next week, it will install wood-fired grills [2] in all 680 Red Lobster [3] restaurants.

The company has been testing the wood-grilled menu for over a year, and will train 3,500 employees on the grills. New items will be going on the menu, such as wood-grilled lobster, wood-grilled sirloin and shrimp, and wood-grilled fish. According to the chain's president, Kim Lopdrup:

This is the most comprehensive culinary and menu change in Red Lobster's history. Wood-fired grilling introduces our guests to a whole new way to enjoy seafood.

Red Lobster's announcement to add these costly new grills comes at a time when the casual restaurant chain industry has stumbled [4]. Chains such as Bennigan's [5], Steak & Ale, Ponderosa, and Bonanza have all filed for bankruptcy protection in the past year. Do the wood-grilled menu items sound appetizing to you, and will they be enough to turn Red Lobster around?

Source [6]