Red Lobster — Restaurant in Dover

We got there 5 mins before 6pm and walked out after 9pm and the restaurant only had 25 to 30 % of the tables seated. Our table and the one next to us, just waited over 90 minutes from the time we ordered the food and we got our drinks, until even seeing our waitress again. Eventually the other table finally went to the bar to ask for a Manager and she had the nerve to tell the other table that she was sorry but the restaurant is really busy. Are you kidding me, that's when I lost it totally. I was a waiter 30 years ago for 1 year and my mother worked there for over 18 years and I told the Manager she was full of it. She said well there is a party in the front room and I said when I worked there and it was packed all day, I never had a table that waited more than 15 minutes and my mother said, that's because there was good servers, cooks and Managers & we all worked hard from the start of our shifts until we clocked out. I asked the manager, what the hell would it be like, if you had a party in the front room and the restaurant was crowded, would it be a 3,4or 5 hour wait on food. When the food finally got to our table, we had waited 2 hours from the time we ordered and received our drinks and a bread basket, with 5 rolls & the food was by far the worst I have ever had there in almost 35 years & the Manager seemed high, drunk or both. She offered to discount our bill and I told her to keep it because my family will not be back & just an embarrassment for Red lobster, the community and even my Mother & I who cared about the restaurant & making certain every family got good service and food because we knew most families could only afford to eat there once a month or so and it was supposed to be a treat for the entire family & we took pride in our work, service, food and making sure it was a good time for there family. I spent over $300 and that wouldn't have been a problem, if it was fair food & service and a decent night out, but nothing was remotely worth $3 and the Manager & Employees I met tonight certainly didn't have any pride in their service, food, or restaurant and certainly had no care if my family had an even a fair experience. Bottom line they didn't care one way or the other & I paid my full bill and tipped over 20% because I wasn't looking for a discount and was looking just for my 85 year old mother to have a nice birthday dinner at the restaurant she picked and a place where she had busted her ass working at for almost 20 years to make certain every family she served, was well taken care of and knew she was going to do whatever was needed to make certain their night out was special & appreciated. Instead she left upset for everything being so bad & no longer proud of her time working there, so it was truly the worst meal out & experience I have ever had and I stopped yelling & paid in full, not to add to...

I recently visited the Dover location to try out the new menu. While the food & drinks we tried (as well as those around us) were phenomenal, we had a mixed experience, largely due to the stark contrast between the staff members. The bartender Cici was absolutely phenomenal. From the moment we sat down it was clear she was "in the weeds" but still managed to be attentive & friendly. The food and drinks we ordered were great (our favs were the new crab queso and margs!) She managed a busy bar, several tables, to-go orders, served as bar back as well as bus boy while still making conversation, and ensuring everyone felt welcome and served promptly. While our food and drinks came in a timely manner, we couldnt help but be distracted by the absolute lack of help from the "manager" on duty. There were tables not bussed all around us, the bartender was struggling to find glasses, fill ice & garnishes and her bar equipment (blenders) were also not working properly causing more delay. And the only thing we ever saw the "manager" do was come over 3 seperate times to scold her in front of patrons for what seemed to be trivial things. At one point we thought the manager was finally going to take the tray of dirty dishes and glasses at the end of the bar but then PUT THEM BACK DOWN and walked away. The bartender was litterally sweating and practically running to keep up with everything while the "manager" offered ZERO help. There were several moments I wanted to jump in myself to help but she remained calm, cool & friendly through it all. 2 servers did jump in to offer help on a few occasions. Id have to say this bartender is a true asset to this establishment, and honestly, the only reason we stayed as long as we did. Unfortunately, the positive impression created by the bartender was significantly undermined by the manager on duty (Shannon). Throughout my visit, the manager seemed disengaged, extremely rude and seriously unhelpful. It felt like her primary focus was on pointing out imperfections rather than supporting her team or ensuring a smooth customer experience. The management really needs to re-evaluate their approach to leadership and customer service. It's a shame to see a staff members efforts hampered by a lack of effective management.

In short, the new menu seems to be effective in bringing in lots of new customers. The food and drinks are definitely worth a try, hopefully the management catches up and reconginizes the need for proper leadership if they really want this revamp is to...

Update 3/8/2024: We've gone to this Red Lobster 4-5 times over the last year and it has been a downward spiral with tonight being the last straw. We got there at 8:45 p.m. and there was a 20 minute wait. Strange for a Friday, but fine. We waited and then were led through a dining room that was filthy with many tables empty but not yet cleaned. We then had to wait 15 minutes for our server. We ordered everything immediately because we knew it was going to be a minute. We got our drinks and biscuits 10 minutes later. Our food came out 15 minutes after that. We never received our salads. The food we did receive was just not that good overall. The crispy potatoes were not fully cooked. There was no cracker for the crab legs and there were no servers in our vicinity for a long, long time. Our steak was way over cooked and so was the broccoli. The shrimp scampi, like us, was especially salty tonight. When requesting a refill for the Ultimate Shrimp Feast, only one of the two items ordered were correct. We got to the point where we just wanted to leave. It was that bad and remember I gave them a 4-star review in my OG review. Our server was nice, but ineffective. It took over 30 minutes to be able to ask for a drink refill. We also never got more biscuits after making that request when requesting refills. It was just a really crumby experience from start to finish. Our dining experience lasted 2 hours. That's just ridiculous. We've decided we won't be going back to Red Lobster again. It was fun while it lasted.

Original Review: It's been a long time since I've been to a Red Lobster 🦞. I was pleasantly surprised with the food, service, and atmosphere. It's worth a trip, but it is expensive...