Every family and group of friends has that one person who whines about whatever restaurant everyone else agrees on. Red Lobster, the restaurant that brought a vaguely Maine-like experience to the nation, is often a subject of such disputes. That’s why the company has been testing more lower-priced and fish-free entrees meant to appeal to people who don’t actually want to eat at Red Lobster. The new menu launches nationwide on October 15.

That one stubborn person who doesn’t like seafood is called, in the restaurant biz, the “veto vote.” In order to appeal to this person and to make them veto less often, the chain is adding a wider variety of salads, more chicken dishes, pork chops, and even vegetable skewers for vegetarians not in the mood for pasta.

The $15 price point is key: tests of the new items at a variety of prices showed that that’s the line, for many Americans, between a treat and an excessive indulgence. “There’s a difference between $14.99 and $15.50 and the difference is more than 51 cents,” the company president told the press. That’s a statement of fuzzy math that makes sense, for once.

Red Lobster – for the non-seafood lover in you [AP]

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