Why Joey Fatone’s Red Lobster Ads Are Winning Over ’90s Kids

Nostalgia is powerful stuff. Red Lobster is capitalizing on it with the help of a familiar face to win over ’90s kids. A 2025 ad campaign from the seafood franchise features Joey Fatone of ’90s boy band NSYNC, and it seems to be the perfect addition to the chain’s efforts to revamp its image. While you might not have discovered all of Red Lobster’s secrets that can help you get even more out of your dining experience, what probably doesn’t surprise you is hearing that the chain has been struggling in recent years. It’s suffered dropping sales, location closures, a 2024 bankruptcy filing, and layoffs across the board.

Bringing Fatone on board is definitely a smart move. The singer-turned-TV personality embodies a time that ’90s kids, now responsible adults with jobs and families of their own to feed, recall fondly. In fact, the power of nostalgia is nothing new when it comes to advertising. Marketing executives are very aware of how it uses memories of your past to create an emotional connection with a modern-day product or experience. It’s why chains, such as McDonald’s, often dig into the past for menu gold so they can boost sales and make customers happy. It seems to be working for Red Lobster.

Led by CEO Damola Adamolekun, Red Lobster appears to be taking a proactive approach to reviving the chain’s image and the public’s interest in dining there. When Adamolekun took the role in 2024 at just 35 years of age, things started to look up. With a fresh face for the franchise and an optimistic approach, he has initiated multiple changes that hopefully return the chain to its former glory.

The Joey Fatone commercial also features Gen Z actress Kayden Tokarski. Together, they promote a new three-course shrimp deal that includes soup or salad, a shrimp appetizer, and a shrimp entree, all for only $19.99. It has also brought back fan-favorites that disappeared from the menu, including lobster bisque and hush puppies, and has introduced new meals (including the “3-Course Shrimp Sensation” Fatone and Tokarski promote in their commercial). 

Anyone who has ever eaten at Red Lobster probably has fond memories of favorite must-have apps, mountains of crab legs, and, of course, those mouthwatering signature Cheddar Bay biscuits. But, while he wants to maintain what customers currently love, Adamolekun is also working to ensure that the food and ambience are up to par for ’90s kids and NSYNC fans looking to rediscover a restaurant that creates as much nostalgia as an NSYNC reunion tour.