Red Lobster Fans Have a New Hero in John Oliver

"John Oliver buys a Red Lobster in upstate New York" probably isn't a headline you expected, but the Last Week Tonight host has made that a reality. The seafood restaurant chain recently filed for Chapter 11, and a Red Lobster in Kingston, New York, was among dozens to close and sell off all equipment and other trappings in winner-take-all auctions that ended May 16. Cue Oliver and his crew, who scooped up all the Kingston site's contents, and re-created the restaurant in his Last Week Tonight studio for the episode that aired Sunday, reports Business Insider. Per the Times Union, Oliver introduced the audience to his new eatery, complete with a red neon sign: Red Lobster With Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

"Is this a good idea for a restaurant?" Oliver mused during the show. "Who can say? For lots of people, the answer is no, but you've got to admit, it is a much better idea than any of Red Lobster's previous owners have had." He added, "We have no prior restaurant experience—that doesn't seem to be disqualifying." Oliver's hook? His Red Lobster will only sell the chain's famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits. "We'll still have the inexplicable nautical-themed artwork and the lobster tank, but those lobsters are really only there so that they can watch you eat biscuits." (More John Oliver stories.)