Red Lobster — Restaurant in Columbia

I should preface this review with an admission that I haven't been to a Red Lobster in easily 25 years or more so I really had no idea what to expect when Mother's day neared and she stated lobster was her dinner wish. All I remembered was the "new" menu item, a cheesy biscuit, was pretty good as well as their pasta.

The Columbia location near i-70 had plenty of parking with handicapped spots right at the door. They do not take reservations so the parking is needed as Covid policy dictates waiting outside for a text message when your table is ready. We sat for about an hour at 2:30 PM listening to a Cardinals game on the radio and examining their menu on the Red Lobster website. Not sure if that kind of wait is normal for that time or if it was the holiday.

Once seated, the waitress was cordial and professional, taking our pre-planned order in stride with some weird substitutions. She answered all questions and was quick to refill a water glass I was having. My mother ordered some sort of Lobster and crab feast with two tails, some crab legs and some sort of garlic creamy linguine with even more crab in it. She raved about it, so it obviously met with her satisfaction.

I ordered a platter of coconut shrimp, baked potato and borrowed a side of Mac and cheese from the kids menu. My only disappointment was that the mac n cheese was 100% a box brand with a powdered flavor packet you'd buy in a grocery store. Otherwise the shrimp and potato was excellent as of course were the cheese biscuits.

The premises was clean and easy to navigate even with many seats closed for social distancing. Male and female rest rooms were tidy and easy to find. The check was a little steep at 110-ish dollars plus a 20% tip on top, but it was worth it for a holiday splurge.

Ps; ordered a large pina colada for her and they gave us a...

We really like the Columbia Mo location & go there regularly ! It's one of our most favorite special occasion places! Considering it was a Friday night at dinner time, we didn't have to wait too long to be seated. A few minutes later, the rest of our 5 person party got here. It was my youngest daughter's birthday dinner. Our server was Heather. I liked her from the beginning! She was cheery, polite and sincere. Any questions we had about any of the menu choices, she answered describing what it was, how it tastes, etc. She wished my daughter Happy Birthday and shared in my excitement over a realistic statue of a movie character that my oldest daughter and son in law made and for me on their 3D printer! We noticed there were new items on the menu, as well as our favorites that we come for specifically. I always have a hard time deciding what I want because I like so many things on the menu! She took all of our orders, drinks and appetizers in nothing flat, as easily as if she was writing her name! The new thing I tried was the Caribbean Lobster Tail, and my husband tried the Bacon Wrapped Scallops appetizer, both looked as yummy as they tasted! It didn't seem like we had to wait very long for our food to come out. The waitstaff brought everything as quickly as as it came up ready. As usual, the food looked eye appealing, has good portions for the price and tasted YUMMY!! I liked the Caribbean Lobster Tail very much! we very much enjoyed our meal, had plenty to eat and some to take home too! I 100% recommend Red Lobster to anyone who likes Seafood and wants a nice evening...

I'm an OTR. I visited there yesterday, placed my order online, and recieved the best "looking" good from ANYONE Reed lobster I've visited in years... However my dear was that I would place my order online and be delayed due to the staff's interest in my origin and occupation...I was correct delayed longer than 10 min, my Freightliner was parked in an intersection lanes with hazards on.. Because of the delay, I recieved a $116.00 non moving violation ticket and spoken to as if I had no education at all by St. Lucie police. The citation issues IS solely my error but the delay is what I was reluctant to order at all. I assumed after being on the road for, 2 1/2 months straight, I deserved something other than a Tuna sandwich or harsh fast food entrees... But I would have taken those last two options over awesome looking food prepared for me, that I was too devistated to eat, promptly prepared for me... In addition to the great seafood mushrooms suggested by the cashier, that I ordered after my original order of crab linguine and a main lobster tail, TO BE ABLE to tip the cashier.. The delay caused the belittlement and citation from ST Lucie police.. I just wanted my food and to be able to tip without the delay. I know the food was great, my favorite entrees. I will avoid Port St Lucie at all costs due to the intriguement that could've cost me my livelihood.. Thank you for being friendly, prompt, and...