Red Lobster — Restaurant in Ottawa

My husband and I decided to go out to Red Lobster for our date night Friday. We had viewed the menu at home beforehand and were pleased to see the prices looked reasonably affordable and we looked forward to our meal. When we arrived we were greeted by hostesses who informed us of the wait time and system (text message to be added to a list and inform you the table is ready). We had a very short wait of approximately 15 minutes. The dining room reasonably busy.

Service: Once seated we had ample time to review the menu before our server greeted us and took our order. He was quite pleasant and friendly and checked in multiple times in our meal.

Due to an issue with my entree we spoke to our server who apologized and arranged for a new dish and let me know a mangager would speak with us to make it right. The manager came by our table shortly after and apologized. She listened politely as I explained that not only was the stuffing cold, but also the entree as a whole was not especially warm. They brought a new dish quickly that was very hot. Our server checked in after receiving the replacement and offered us a free dessert (cheesecake) which was comped on our bill.

Food: We ordered the Crab Queso Dip to start wich was quite good and a large serving. We both agreed it could have used a little more crab, but was still very tasty. The Cheddar Bay Biscuits were delicious and fresh. Our server offered to refill these multiple times.

I ordered the Lobster & Shrimp Seasonal Feast (lobster tail meat and shrimp with orange-rosemary sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans and Cheddar Bay Stuffing). I found the flavour of the sauce to be a bit sweet and and the overall entree nothing extraordinary. I didn't find the stuffing to be particularly pleasant due to the texture as it was very moist and doughy, the flavor was however nice.

Unfortunately my entree was not especially hot when served and the food quickly cooled down. When our entrees had been delivered we were informed the stuffing would be brought shortly wich was no issue. Unfortunately however the stuffing was cold in the middle and clearly had been microwaved.

Overall thoughts: Good service from all we interacted with. The food was quite rich tasting, but nothing exceptional. Serving sizes for the main entrees were also a little disappointing considering price.

Unfortunately the standout for me was the food presentation - not hot and method of preparation evident throughout the meal, but also plating. Although my main included a lobster tail, shrimp and mashed potatoes these were all in one area of the plate on top of each other. It was somewhat hard to distinguish at first glance between the lobster and mashed potatoes. The lobster shell included in the presentation was also not the best in my opinion.

Considering the cost of the meal ($140 for two drinks, an appetizer and two entrees) and issue with my meal I was a bit disappointed that we were given a free dessert, but no other offers were made such as the appetizer or drinks being...

Giving 2 stars as a courtesy because I understand being short staffed, but our experience was not an issue for just that reason.

I have enjoyed Red Lobster multiple times in the past but this was not one of those times. I understand that the business is short staffed and at the risk of sounding like "one of those customers", that's not the customers problem. You should only take in as many people as you can fully serve, all the same. Not taking in way too many and only serving them all at 25% and then the servers suffer through tips because of poor experiences.

The food by the time we got it was not even warm, making everything not taste good even if it did when it was fresh. I found the shrimp particularly very poor tasting, but I got the admirals feast so unfortunately I had to try everything and found it mostly disappointing; the cod was the best thing and honestly was pretty good. I got a caesar salad on the side and was quite surprised when i got a bowl of lettuce cheese and dressing....I went to Zacks recently which is half the price from RL and there was REAL bacon in my salad...yet you guys couldn't even chuck some crumble on there. Just seems like a cheap move for the price you charge. We never received a refill on our biscuits and only received 2 in the first place (2 people so better than nothing). The calamari looked and smelled delicious but was anything but...my boyfriend and I were both looking at the last few pieces, hoping the other person would eat them. After only 1 or 2, your mouth felt very pastey as the crumble seemed very powdery or chalky, not pleasant. Requested refills 3 times before we received one, and with a feast that has 4 different types of fish in it, I received 3 sauces....none of them tartar sauce???? We tipped the waitress alright out of pity but for spending 100$, we got much more when we went to Zaks diner and spent half of that. Most of these are small issues that seemed to just be unlucky for us but for the prices you charge, the standards are higher so this was very disappointing to leave spending $100 and wished we had gone...

I made an order tonight ( September 7th, 2025) through Uber eats. Seafood boil, $5.99 for "crispy" brussel sprouts, seafood mushrooms and 6 biscuits. When I got it, the restaurant clearly didn't give us everything. They pack it, not Uber Eats. In the seafood boil, all there was is crab legs with some potatoes. No shrimp, no lobster, no corn. Not even a slice of lemon. I got the brussel sprouts, and they are so soggy. Not crispy, and I didn't get my mushrooms or 6 biscuits at all. They didn't make it or put it in, but I paid for it. This whole order was $103 and everything is wrong and missing. I was already in the process of speaking with Uber eats to receive a refund, but Red Lobster is responsible for the food itself, so I also called them at the same time.

I called once, someone answered and after explaining to them of what happened and had me on hold to connect with the manager. After a few minutes it just had an automatic robot saying they disconnected with me so I called again for the 2nd time, and the same guy answered. I told him I was hung up on, and all he said was "oh yeah let me get the manager". No apology, okay. He then asks for my name and number so he can call me back, okay I did. Eventually the manager calls me back and I explain the situation and what's missing and wrong (the entire thing!) and there is no ownership what's soever. Just saying "my guys packed it right" no, you didn't. Im missing 95% of my order, and I told him that. He had the unprofessional audacity to reply with "your driver probably took it".

He kept saying they did their end right and to contact Uber eats because they can't refund me. That's not the point, I was already mid process of that with them directly. It's 2 steps, refund and then contact the restaurant itself. Not even an apology, my daughter didn't get to eat dinner because of this places negligence.

Don't go here,...