Red Lobster

Very dirty inside and extremely poor organization. We were told it would be 15 minutes for a table when we arrived! After 45 minutes and groups the same size who arrived after us were being seated we mentioned it to the manager. He could not have cared less, extremely rude staff.

I’ve been to better Red Lobsters and this location is so-​so. Biscuits are standard and the seafood is cooked inconsistently; my grilled skewers of scallops and shrimp were still white with a few burnt marks from the grill. It’s as if they just touched it to put the marks on. Lobster pizza was better and decently tasty.
Serves out the chain’s fare but execution is lacking on the entrees.

BAD… waitress did not know our drinks… and still got the wrong drink… shrimp was over cooked… potato soup look like it was cooked 3 day ago… more brown than white… never again here

I ordered The Endless Shrimp. Hand-​breaded and Garlic Shrimp Scampi. I much preferred the Hand-​breaded. Sunday after the place was about 30% full. Our server had to be reminded and asked repeatedly for every request. We paid our bills and she evidently was abducted by aliens. After 45 minutes we hailed a different waitress and asked if she would ask our waitress to refill our glasses. The hailed waitress refilled a coffee. The manager stopped by and asked what we needed. The pictures taken were

My friend was DYING to get Endless Shrimp so I read all the reviews before I went… and was not really looking forward to going, as I expected a horrible experience…
To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. They have either read these reviews also or have new management or BOTH. (It did seem like they were in the middle of a change over… I did see a few servers standing around looking confused… but who knows?)
We were greeted promptly and seated. Our waitress came right out to get our drinks and since we knew what we wanted, proceeded to order. She was knowledgeable about the specials and answered all of our questions efficiently. Our food came out quickly and was piping hot. I was a little sad that we didn’t get our biscuits until after our entrée but she did make us aware of the fact that they were still in the oven. She was very attentive and made sure we had enough to drink and more and more shrimp! She even gave us some biscuits to go! :) All in all, VERY HAPPY with our service.
Cleanliness…did not notice anything dirty… it all looked pretty clean.
Food…Well folks, let’s be honest. It’s Red Lobster. It’s a CHAIN. And while it was very tasty it wasn’t mind-blowing…which is completely fine to me. My favorite was the hand breaded shrimp. Simple but delicious. Nothing was over-​seasoned. The habanero pineapple coconut shrimp was good but actually a little too sweet for my taste. The heat was spot on but I think they could have left off the coconut (I’m not a big fan of sweet meat though.)
I really enjoyed my visit to this restaurant and I’m sad that they have such awful reviews. Here’s hoping they DO have new management and they’ll turn things around!

Let me start by saying this is the last place I’d be expecting to have a drink and dinner in Durham. I sat at the bar and the tender was friendly, cool and conversational. There were a dozen other patrons in the area and they seemed content as well. The other members of the staff said hello and were friendly as well.
The food was what I expected at a chain. My expectations were not high and the team here exceeded them.

As I sit here, waiting for round two of my endless shrimp, I reflect upon my meal thus far. After a 40 minute wait we get sat. The waiter, who seems like a nice young man, takes our drink and food orders. A short time later, our entrees show up. I haven’t gotten my salad yet let alone my drink, but here is dinner. I did finally get both salad and drink after asking for both. So we wait for our shrimp and wonder why we didn’t go to the Cary location.

Red Lobster. What can I say. It’s an institution. It has been around for decades and in my mind hasn’t changed much with the times. They still prepare seafood as if they are cooking for a large factory. Fried, broiled, sauteed but without much character or taste.
We visited the Red Lobster restaurant in Durham, recently. It had been a couple of years since my last visit. Not much had changed — although they had a few new things on the menu. We were seated after a 15 minute wait, even thought he restaurant was not busy. This became a theme of the staff at this location. No urgency. No passion. Sort of like the food.
The menu is an elaborate collage of lots of combinations to satiate those indecisive folks who don’t know good seafood, but who would like to try a little of everything. Most of the preparations are unimaginable and when they arrive, simply blah. Not much in the way of catch of the day.
They start you off with a basket of cheesy, doughy biscuits. I eat one if I’m hungry or bored but otherwise don’t care for them. A nice hot loaf of sourdough bread like you see in a West Coast Fish Market would be much more enjoyable. Drinks come quickly. They have an elaborate menu of «chick drinks» of every color and name. I prefer a simple glass of Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay or a Riesling to complement my seafood selection. In a higher end seafood establishment, I might order a half dozen oysters. But in my experience, the oysters at Red Lobster are without flavor. They are specially processed to provide a «safer» experience. But they process away the freshness. Usually they are delivered too cold to taste much. So I skip oysters here. My daughter ordered some coconut shrimp which were served with a pineapple relish. They were nice and were able to impart some protein into our pickiest eater.
I’m not much in to fried seafood or tangled masses of snow crab legs that require intricate time consuming labor to eat. Rather, this time I though I’d like to try their namesake — lobster. What was more encouraging, they listed something called «woodfire grilled» lobster. One of the most incredible ways to prepare lobster is to grill it on a flame. The flame imparts a delicious sweet smoky taste that is reminiscent of Baja California port calls in places like Ensenada, Puerto Salina or points south. But Red Lobster has chosen the industrial method. They use tiny frozen processed lobster tails and grill them on what seemed to have been a flat iron grill. So the so-​called wood grilled lobster is essentially without much wood grilled taste. This was paired with scallops — in this case small bay scallops and a some grilled shrimp stuck on a bamboo skewer (it was a combo of sorts). They were salty, dry and overcooked. The combo was served with a rice pilaf (I’ve never figured out what a pilaf is) and some overcooked greenery — I think broccoli. Totally unspectacular and priced at over $ 25.
And so it goes. There were similar reviews from the other members of my family –except my nonagenarian father who is not a foodie. As long as he gets his fried trout, which he eats about 3 times a week at other local restaurants, he’s good.
So what can I say? Red lobster is an institution that has over 700 restaurants around the country. When you need to be profitable with that many places, you need to resort to an institutional/​industrial kitchen. That will result in unspectacular institutional/​industrial feed. Not my kind of place. But there are tons of good seafood places in the RDU region given that it is only a mere 2 hours from the coast.
Service was okay but without personality –sort of like the food. Plan on spending $ 35 – 40 per person if you have drinks/​desserts or appetizers. If not, you can get away with $ 20−25/per person. Plenty of parking here but be sure that if you are coming from the Chapel Hill direction (southwest), you’ll need to make a left turn into a service road about 450 feet southwest of the restaurant or you will pass it. Look on google maps, you’ll see what I mean.

What’s there to like here? Not much. Lots of complaints about the food by other patrons here as well. The scallops were salty and the Cesar salad was soggy because the lettuce was drenched with dressing. Let’s put it like this, there was more dressing than salad. The biscuits looked like salt on them and the texture wasn’t as a biscuit should be.
Would I recommend it? No
Would I come back? No
This is the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m done with Red Lobster.

I really wanted to like Red Lobster. I’ve had it at other locations before, with mixed results. But this location is TRULY AWFUL.
So, it’s a Monday night at 7pm, not exactly a peak day or time. We wait at the host stand for literally 10 minutes before we are greeted. Approximately a half dozen servers walk by us in this period of time; not a single one makes eye contact, acknowledges our presence, even gives a cursory «someone will be with you soon.» The level of give-​a-​damn is at an all time low tonight, clearly.
When we are finally greeted, it is not enthusiastically at all. She grabbed two menus and started walking away with the obvious expectation that we follow her. We’re seated, and she leaves without comment. Looking around, the restaurant is absolutely empty. There are maybe three or four tables of patrons, and at least twice as many servers. The majority of the servers, plus a manager, are sitting at a booth in the back socializing. Our server eventually makes his way over to greet us.
Positives: To his credit, our server is reasonably friendly and able to answer questions that we have about the selection. His menu knowledge is obviously not lacking, so I’m assuming he had worked there for at least some amount of time.
Negatives: Literally everything else about the service. After he took our order, he disappeared and never returned. The cheese biscuits AND the appetizer we ordered were delivered by a food runner, and our server was nowhere to be found. It probably took around 30 minutes for our entrée to eventually arrive, at which point he again disappeared. Not once did he check back to ask us how the food was, if we needed anything else, etc. etc. Multiple times we spotted him somewhere in the background socializing with other servers. The whole time we were there, the booth where all the servers and the manager were sitting, was never empty. The servers walked around with absolutely no sense of urgency or attentiveness whatsoever.
Bonus points for horribleness: At one point I get up to visit the lady’s bathroom, and a VERY annoyed looking couple is standing at the deserted host stand. Despite the fact that I am wearing nothing that could be mistaken for server attire, they half heartedly ask me if I work there as I pass by– which, no, I do not. When I get out of the restroom and back to my table I noted that they finally got a table, a few rows over from our own (they sat themselves– no silverware or drinks on their table to be found). At least fifteen minutes pass as we are eating, and the couple was still not greeted by ANYONE despite 6 – 10 servers circulating lazily. The couple is visibly upset and angry, and they get up and leave. They make it out of the restaurant without anyone on the staff OR management noticing or intervening. When the server finally notices (at least 10 minutes after they left), she gets a manager, who is more worried about whether or not the couple left without paying for any drinks and/​or food (that they never received).
It’s hard to touch on anything but the terrible service, but I will say that the food was mediocre and definitely overpriced for what we got. Two waters, an appetizer, an entrée with add-​on that we shared, and a dessert = $ 60 including a 10% tip that the server definitely didn’t earn.
It’s bad enough that the servers weren’t doing their jobs– but for a manager to be sitting at a booth without moving for upwards of an hour, no table greets, no food checks, nothing? You can clearly see where the servers get their work ethic and sense of responsibility. Other restaurants in the Red Lobster family that I’ve been to have NOT had this problem. There is clearly something wrong with the management of this particular restaurant, and it’s trickling down to the rest of the staff.

We got there at 9 and was told it would only be a 20 – 25 min wait. We ended up waiting an hour just to be seated. Then had to wait another 30 just to get our entrée. Spoke with a manager and he took full responsibility of the poor service we received because they were understaffed. He exemplified the best customer service! Because of him, I will be returning but hopefully I won’t have to wait another hour.

Everyone standing around… no one knows what is going on! Food was at best was C rating. I’ve had better lobster before, scallops were just ok and shrimp was nasty. In the picture it showed rice as side… Got baked potato. Waitress was brand new (first day) and I understand but sat there for 10 minutes with no one approaching us at all. Had to ask several times for refills. I would not go back…

I didn’t think RL could be bad. It’s a national chain and a go to for my Fiancé and I when we are unsure of an area or just wanting some fish without having to do research on where to go. He particularly enjoys lobster fest and the endless shrimp because there aren’t many places my 6’5″ man can actually get his fill of shrimp for under $ 20. We have given this place two chances since moving to Chapel Hill. The first time was not horrible but not the best. It was endless shrimp on a Saturday, but just after the big crowds around 8:30. The kitchen was really slow and our waitress didn’t seem any faster. It took about 10 mins between refills for my man, and I had ordered one of their large ‘Ritas while waiting for a table. I had ordered a second when we recieved our food. A good 30 minutes went by and I never got my drink. At nearly $ 10 I knew I wouldnt enjoy it when it finally showed up so I finally tracked down our waitress and canceled the order. She seemed baffled why I didnt want a drink when I was done eating and almost ready to go.
Our Second trip was worse than the first. We had hoped the first was a fluke. It was a Wed night and not very busy. My fiancé ordered the admirals feast and I ordred the four course dinner they had on special. My fiancé didnt seem to have any issue with his order but my order was a different story. We both recieved our salads, but I never recieved my soup. Our drinks remained empty from about the time we sat down. When our food arrived I asked our waitress why I hadn’t recieved my soup and she said my meal didn’t come with soup despite her previously asking me if I wanted Clam Chowder, or two other types I now can’t remember. I asked her to check the menu because I was sure it did. While she was gone, I noticed half of my shrimp was missing. I had ordered the grilled and coconut shrimp combo and my grilled shrimp were not on the plate. When the waitress finally returned with my soup, which at this point I really didn’t care for because my food was already going cold, I asked her where my other shrimp were. She then argued with me about the shrimp. A table right beside us was having a similar issue and we both just looked at eachother and laughed. The manager did nothing to fix the problem, and I went home only having a sald and a few bites of shrimp because I was too angry that my Fiancé and I couldnt enjoy a dinner we paid over $ 40 for together.

The food is tasty, but very expensive for the portions given.

Food acceptable, not great. Very attentive wait staff but slow kitchen on a slow Monday night, so that’s not good. Food looks a lot better in the commercials.

Summary: Seems old on the inside. Cheddar biscuits are the best thing there – and they’re free.
The Story: I’d never been to a Red Lobster, so I decided it was worth trying. It was shrimp week (or month?). So for $ 16, you could get all you could eat of five different shrimp entrees, two at the time. So I ordered two and ended up taking two home. Portions were big, but it seemed really expensive for that type of chain (comparing to the Olive Garden or a Chili’s). The entrees had a ton of fat but very little flavor (e.g. the «Alfredo» on one seemed to be just melted butter, cream, and a hint of parmesan). To each his own, but I would not be back (except maybe for a beer and some cheddar biscuits).

I want to be upfront and say that my husband and I had no desire to go to Red Lobster. We went to celebrate a birthday. We did not choose the venue for the celebration.
We were seated promptly. Our server immediately came over, greeted us, and said she would be right back. And then she didn’t return for 5+ minutes. The important thing to know is that while it was a Saturday, we went early (5:00), and even by the time we left (a little after 6:00), the place was not very busy.
Eventually we got our drinks and placed our order. The biscuits never showed. A manager finally brought them. The manager said she would bring us some bread plates. She never returned. Our server ended up bringing them after we had finished eating the biscuits.
The salad was awful. Everyone had a cesear salad, and the lettuce was not great. The meals themselves were nothing special and certainly not worth the money they charge. I had popcorn shrimp which was fine but greasy. Someone else had the shrimp scampi and said pretty much what other reviewers have said about it being too buttery/​oily.
Too add to all this, we tried to communicate to the hostess that we were celebrating a birthday and would like a dessert/​song for the birthday girl. The hostess could not comprehend what we were asking. We explained where we were sitting, and what dessert we would like to order, and asked if she could locate our server and communicate this information. Apparently this was beyond the realm of what she could understand and communicate to another person. Eventually our server figured out we were celebrating a birthday and asked what dessert to bring.
I should also add that our server never checked back with us about any of our food and was awful at refilling our drinks. She was however a champion at hanging out and talking to other servers which I got to see more than once.
I will never return to Red Lobster by choice. That’s for sure.

Red Lobster is underrated, unfairly getting a bad rep for being a family restaurant chain. Depending on what you order and how fair/​unfair your expectations are (it is a mid-​priced, seafood chain after all), RL is probably among the best of its tier… easily topping Applebees & Chilis.
Share a «Create your own Festival» with another person (in addition to the complimentary, heavenly cheddar biscuits with somewhat of a cult following), and it is enough to satisfy at a price of appx. $ 10 per person.
This is the point where the quality of your meal all depends on what you order, since the items really are hit or miss. For the «Festival», we ordered: Coconut Shrimp, Shrimp Alfredo, & Stuffed Seafood Shrimp. Total hit with the coconut shrimp & shrimp alfredo. Total miss with the stuffed seafood shrimp, which consisted of a huge lump fried stuffing mixed w/​bits of seafood that I could barely taste, piled on to an ordinary tail of shrimp. Also had Lobster Bisque: deliciously creamy.
Although I did not order the shrimp scampi/​buttered shrimp/​garlic shrimp, I would recommend avoiding it at all costs since based on the other reviews & pictures it seems to be excessively artery-​clogging in its pools of butter & oil.
All in all, this is a great place for college students to share the portions and enjoy reasonably good seafood for the price that’s easy on the wallet. Take it in stride that this is a mid-​priced restaurant chain, and you might be surprised at how much you enjoy your meal.

I had not been to Red Lobster in probably 25 years. Knowing it’s a part of the chain that includes some other mediocre restaurants hasn’t made me keen on returning… but I had a gift certificate…
And I have to say I was surprised. I enjoyed my dinner. I would have enjoyed it more if there had been more shrimp and scallops to enjoy, but the ones on my plate, Both were grilled with a bourbon sauce and pretty tasty.
I think what surprised me more was the fact that I liked the sides. I had a house salad with ranch and a loaded baked potato. Both were fresh and pretty darn good.
And the cheddar biscuits… well they’re just sin in a basket.
I was glad, though, that I had a gift certificate. While I like the food, I thought the prices were high enough to be in the next caliber or so of eatery; and the portion sizes were on the small side, considering the price.
I do have to say the management and wait staff (and some of the clientele) were rather handsome, providing delicious eye-​candy to accompany our dinner.
I probably won’t go out of my way to patronize Red Lobster, but my opinion has been raised a bit.

«Mid-​scale chain seafood»
For anyone who hasn’t been, this is a decent place for mid-​scale seafood: much better than the bottom-​tier stuff you’d get at your local «Golden Corral» type of buffet or cheap restaurant, but don’t go expecting gourmet prepared seafood. Most of the menu is lobster, shrimp, and/​or crab, with a few other dishes sprinkled in including fish, steak, etc. They have seasonal specials like all-​you-​can-​eat of various preparations of shrimp or a variety of lobster specials at «lobsterfest». All dishes I’ve had seem to have generous accompaniments of butter, either directly on the food or in a dipping cup beside it, so don’t think you’re eating healthy. Similarly, they tempt you with their «cheddar bay biscuits» which make the napkins on which they’re sitting turn transparent.
I went tonight with my daughter, and we split a «Lobsterfest» Rock Lobster, Crab and Shrimp special: roasted rock lobster tail, steamed snow crab legs and garlic shrimp scampi for $ 22.99, and we added one grilled Maine lobster tail for $ 12.50. Roasted rock lobster tail was not that impressive, but the rest were all very tasty– we loved the grilled Maine lobster for its taste & seasonings, the crab legs were delightful, and the garlic shrimp (although «swimming» in butter) also tasted delicious.
Service was both friendly and relatively quick– although arriving at 6pm on a Friday night, we were seated immediately, and we were finished and out before 7pm. However, as we left, we saw lots of people sitting outside with beepers, so go early for fast seating (no reservations).