Bey's "Formation" Influenced Red Lobster's Sales

Going along with being a musical entertainer, queen, and a bazillionaire, Beyoncé is also a taste-maker. Beyoncé goes on a vegan diet for 22 days? You can bet I'm going to grab the book she's using and try it myself. Beyoncé wears a red checker dress? I will go out and buy a red checker dress. Beyoncé signs off on Red Lobster in her new song "Formation?" I head over to the closest Red Lobster for Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Turns out, I'm not alone here — according to USA Today, since Beyoncé name-dropped Red Lobster in her track, "Formation," Red Lobster's sales increased about 33 percent.

Just call it the Bey effect.

It's no surprise, of course. Beyoncé is an icon, and as such, she is a great influencer. What she loves, we love. She's the woman who's literally badass at everyone — and maybe we all hope that by following her example we too can slay in our own rate.

Of course, the increase in Red Lobster's sales following her mention of the chain restaurant in "Formation" isn't the first time Beyoncé has directly influenced something, whether through example or a song. It's happened a other times over the course of her career, and each time, it was in full force:

The Vegan Diet

When Beyoncé teamed up with her nutritionist Marco Borges to create a vegetable-based diet program for 22 days — completely vegan, that is — in December 2013, many hopped on the bandwagon and took on the 22-day program themselves. It seemed that everyone, and I mean everyone, was doing it.

Dropping Surprise Albums

Though Beyoncé wasn't the first to drop a surprise album when she released Beyoncé with no warning in 2013 — Radiohead dropped a few albums with limited warning time, as did electronic artist Burial — she was one of the first big artists to make the trend popular. Since she did it, many other artists have hopped on board including Skrillex, Kid Cudi, U2, and Drake.

Like the total badass she is, Bey has influenced different facets of everyday life: From food to the music industry itself. I look forward to many more years of Beyoncé giving me ideas on how to live my life. Long Live the Queen!

Images: Giphy