Red Lobster

My husband and I came here last Sunday when everyone was still kind of stuck due to the weather. We were sick of being indoors and decided to see what was open. Red Lobster was and I had never been to one before so despite the bad reviews seen here we decided to give it a shot.
The place was pretty empty and the hostess seemed really awkward and confused on how to seat us so we just stood there for a couple minutes not knowing what to do as she hadn’t even acknowledged our presence. So, from the beginning I was skeptical. Our experienced improved though, the waitress was very talkative and friendly. When she forgot to bring my drink she genuinely apologized and explained about their lack of staff (totally understandable given the circumstances). She made sure to check back with us several times during our meal. Our only complaint was that she also forgot to bring us more cheddar biscuits, although that was probably a good thing since we ended up being pretty full anyway!
I was very pleased with the food we received — it was hot, fresh, and tasty! I’m very confident that we will we back! I have pictures that I’ll add a bit later!

Let me preface this by saying this is the first and most likely last review I’ll ever write for any restaurant. I just had to share this completely surreal dining experience. If only there were a zero star option… This place was horrible across the board. Service was nonexistent. Our waitress didn’t bring our drinks for at least 15 minutes, and came across high on drugs/​incompetent. Refills were impossible to come by (note that they weren’t busy in the least), no one seemed to care at all that we were just sitting there without drinks or bread in front of us. The food was below average. It seems that their restaurant model is designed to attract people who don’t know what real seafood is supposed to taste like. I had to make a loud noise to finally get her to bring us our check. She was standing 10 feet from us knowing we needed and wanted to leave after sitting there for over and hour and half. I truly cannot express how bad the service, food, and overall experience was at Red Lobster in Winston-​Salem. I will never go back, and I encourage anyone who reads this to take it seriously. You’ve been warned.

Very slow service and somehow lacks the «fun» that most Red Lobsters have. I think that’s why they’re rated lower by other Unilocalers too. And I’m sure it doesn’t help them that their NC State Cleanliness Rating Certificate shows they have just 76!

Can be very busy in s Friday night
So plan ahead. Good service and food is well made as usual at Red Lobster. Lobster done just right and the crab wasn’t bad just kinda scarce.

I’m originally from up north (Boston area) and we don’t have Red Lobsters up here which is one of the reason why I was excited to see one down here. With no questions asked, we made a reservation and definitely had to give this place a try while we’re in town visiting our family. With my high hope expectation, I ended up very, very disappointed. The restaurant itself needed to be updated and it smelled so bad as we walked in. It look so dirty too. Their biscuit for a complimentary starter were what I expected from all the good reviews I had from other people that has been to Red Lobster. Their shrimp pasta was way too salty and the shrimp tasted like imitation shrimp. Their «Maine» lobster bake tasted rubbery, the fried batter shrimp was disgustingly soggy. The stuffed mushroom was water down in loads of oil. Let’s not forget that, we needed to constantly reminded the waitress what they had forgot to bring us. So sad it was such a bad experience for something I’ve been dying to try.

Food was awesome but service was lackadaisical at best. Where to start?
Well, our waiter was too preoccupied with trying to get a date with a lady in the booth next to us (his co-​worker) to provide appropriate service. When we finally got our dinner, the idiot waitstaff decided to start cleaning the 4 booths next to us. I mean got out the rag, spray cleaner and sweeper and then moved the booth cushions to wipe there too. Then after one guy swept under the table another woman did the same thing. After she finished, she placed the sweeper and also a wet rag used to clean the booth seats on top of the freshly washed and set table!!! Maybe they’re trying to get that 90 rating up by cleaning like they have OCD, but overboard isn’t a good thing when you still have no clue how to clean.
The number of men that worked at this location visiting the booth behind us was so numerous over the course of an evening, it was distracting. Six male waiters and two cooks stopped by that table, while our waiter could barely remember I had a coke. Unless they change out the entire waitstaff, I will not be going back to this particular Red Lobster. Wish I would have read the previous reviews. Always read the reviews!!!

Beware people. Rating was 90 so I wasn’t going to eat. I went for a bday and decided to have salad only. Mistake! We were all sick from the blue cheese dressing FOR DAYS! (we all ate that). It was AWFUL. If you’ve ever had food poisoning you know what I’m talking about.
I’ve tried to get my money back for our check, but it’s obviously easier to get your money back for having a hair on your plate.
The general manager will not return my phone calls and I’ve had to call several times to even speak with a manager that has no authority to do anything other than take messages. They want me to sue them in order to get a refund. What a joke.
Learned my lesson the hard way. No more 90’s. Never red lobster. Ever. The thought of it literally hurts my stomach.

Above anything else it was the quality of service that our server provided that really made everything come together for a great meal. He was knowledgeable about the menu and gave descriptions that made nearly everything on the menu seem appealing. One reason I will return is to try several of the entrees he presented to us.
Another aspect that stood out was the Lobster Bisque. It was fantastic! I may visit during lunch one day just to eat this soup again. This is a rue based soup that begins prepared in the restaurant by the cook. The Bisque contained nice chunks of lobster in a rich, vibrant and creamy soup.
Our meal was very well paced and we never felt like we were waiting on anything. Our server helped me select a dish with three types of shrimp. While I was concerned that the portions would be small, it turned out to be the perfect amount of each item. (This was the Big Shrimp Festival)
All of the shrimp were cooked exactly right. This is a difficult task as shrimp can easily be overcooked, but those served to me were nice, tender and flavorful.
Both of the managers stopped by our table to ensure we were enjoying our meal. The general manager engaged in an extended conversation about similar interests. It really gives a restaurant a friendly personality when the staff take time to connect with the customers.
My wife was raving to her family about the Boston Iced Tea (a non-​alcoholic beverage). This is something my wife is going to want every time we visit in the future.
Speaking of visits in the future, we will definitely be back again!

The waiter was extremely professional and nice, but
.gosh he was soooo slow. It was about 20 min before we even got to order! The food is pretty consistent at Red Lobster, so that is not the problem. The service was just too drawn out.

I’d give this place no stars if that were an option. I was visiting a friend in Winston-​Salem and she decided on Red Lobster for dinner. We walked inside the restaurant and there was no one at the front to greet us and I cannot count how many waiters/​waitresses walked by us without saying a SINGLE word. We were ignored for at least 5 minutes, until a waiter who’d initially passed us without speaking finally mumbled «someone will be right with you». I was literally seconds from leaving this place until he said that. We were finally seated by an elder woman whose demeanor was very causal and nonchalant. She didn’t even apologize for the wait. Once we were seated it took what seemed like forever to have our drink orders taken, and finally our food order. The waiter was decent, not that great but I’ve certainly had worst service. Our food took well over an hour to be served, and once the food arrived, we were terribly disappointed. Both of us ordered lobster and it was TOUGH. Not only was it hard to eat, but the kitchen and waiter failed to mention that they were out of Maine lobster tail for the evening and served me two small sized tails instead! It is completely unacceptable to not communicate to a customer that a restaurant is out of food, and this type of behavior leads me to believe that they will do anything just to get a customer’s money. It’s really pitiful. We requested a manager at this point because the service had gotten out of control at this point, she was very what appeared to be accomodating, reassuring us that they would get or order right and serve the appropriate pieces of lobster. Unfortunately it gets worse, the waiter and manager both failed to mention that they had to unthaw our food out of the freezer, and when we were told our second attempted order of food was almost ready, it in fact had not been cooked yet. Bottom line is that the manager disappeared, wouldn’t face us again after waiting another HOUR+ for food without explanation, and had to practically beg for an answer as to why we had sat in a restaurant for 3 hours without eating! By the time we started eating it was closing time and the staff made it pretty apparent that they were ready for us to hurry up and go home. We were offered a measly 25% off the bill, without an apology. I won’t be eating here EVER again.

SOP problem. They like to piss off customers, i gess especially the ones they don’t like. They don’t allow you if you go out for a call or something after the closing time — not even to pay the bills or complete your meal… and they don’t even communicate that. The $ 15 meal combo was good though.

Beyond terrible. Started with waiter forgetting to put in order, manager telling us that the waiter made a mistake and would comp us a dessert… just to find out the waiter then knew nothing about the comp dessert the manager put in. The blind leading the blind. Unfortunately the food couldn’t save this place either as all you can taste is a healthy dose of salt.

After eating at Seafood Shack in Walkertown it makes this place a joke. Wow, what a difference. Go to Seafood Shack in Walkertown.

From the time we sat down it took 15 minutes before we even saw a server during lunch. Its not even busy right now. we asked for a specific empty table and we got denied… what happened to customer is right… food is still good though

The older lady Hostess/​Manager wannabe is absolutely cold and really rude. Dylan, Darrin and Micca are the best servers they have. I work near this location and eat here often. The food is really pretty blah. Lunch is not bad. The fish and chips are the best bang for the buck. If you can get past the couple of rule hostess people, and the one old lady rude manager, then it is fine. The biscuits are yummy of course. The triple berry sangria drink is also delish. But as for a seafood restaurant, it is not great. There are way better for the money.

It’s been quite some time since we’d been to a Red Lobster. After visiting this past week for a Birthday gathering the reason I haven’t been to one in so long is the food. Everything besides the salad was VERY Salty. The service was spotty but we had a large group. Everyone we encountered was pleasant, the place was clean, the atmosphere was nice and relaxing but… the food… bleh!

This is a nice, friendly place to dine. It right next to the Fairfield Inn, which is perfect if you choose to have an ‘adult beverage’ with dinner. Enjoy!

Overpriced overcooked seafood.

Although Red Lobster isn’t your classiest dining facility, its a great way to splurge on lobster cheaply. The lobster bisque is actually superb and of course, the famous cheddar biscuits.
This location is always packed, though, so plan to wait 30 – 45 minutes for seating for dinner.

This was the first time I have ever been to a red lobster before… And probably the last time. No fault to the restaurant or the staff, but being from NYC you can get much better tasting and quality food from a non chain restaurant. BUT, it was right next to my hotel and I’d never been so I gave it a go.
Food was to be expected. Wide selection of seafood, knowledgeable and friendly staff. I had the ultimate seafood platter (or something like that) which included, crab, lobster, shrimp two different ways, mashed potatoes and a salad. I wasn’t able to finish it due to the large size, but also the amount of butter and oil all over the place. Again, to be expected from a chain restaurant, but it was tasty and the staff was happy to walk me through the menu and make recommendations.
I do have to say the lava cookie sunday was delic! Simply a large chocolate chip cookie warmed up with ice cream on top. It quickly turns into a cookie dough like mess with the hot cookie and cold ice cream playing off each other.
All in all, if you like red lobsters and chain restaurants, this one is just fine. Everything was prepared correctly, everyone was nice and the place was clean. Enjoy!

It’s been a while since I’ve been here so take it for what it’s worth. If you want to eat in Winston-​Salem on a Friday, Saturday evening… it’s going to take you a good hour to 1.5 hr wait.
Yes, at a Red Lobster. What really annoyed me was that the last time I was there, we put our name on the list and the girl at the front started seating people that came in after us. Finally after 40 minutes, I went up to see what was going on and they had «crossed us off» without asking for us. (I was right there next to the booth where they were).
To top it off, the manager came to get our seats right away when I quietly asked why we weren’t seated yet, but that should have been grounds for a comp’d meal.
I might try this particular location again, but in the years that I have tried it on and off, it really hasn’t ever given me the greatest service.