Red Lobster — Restaurant in Lake Ridge

I wish half ratings were allowed, because then I would render this experience a score of 1.5. Let me first say that I have been to a few of the Red Lobsters in the local area. In fact, the Manassas one actually surpassed my expectations by offering delicious fare and attentive, good service. But this time was a different experience. While ordering, I and my dining party discovered that food offerings are not the same. One person within my party wanted a meal she had eaten at another Red Lobster, but discovered that this location didn't offer it and wouldn't offer it. So she had to find another meal offering. But the most upsetting aspect was the flippant response to an expressed concern. I have a food allergy, so when I placed my order, I shared such with the server. Her response, "then why are you eating here?" I was stunned, but did reply "because I wanted salmon". After the food was served and we were eating our meal, she came back and made a comment, "I am just checking that you are not laid out". Again, this was offputting. So I responded, "No, but if I were, that would be a problem for you all." She walked away. When she returned with our requested to go boxes, she mentioned to me that my health concerns are taken very seriously, that there is a special button to indicate it on the entry register and she shared the information with both the chef and the manager. All of this seemed contradictory to her initial reaction and base joke, so I said nothing. Interestingly, I overheard at the table behind us that one of the diners had a similar health concern as mine. But her server took it all in stride with no derogatory comment nor shock. She simply wrote the request and repeated it to the diner. Very much a better more sensitive, professional reaction. When it was all said and done, we wanted to tip our server less than 10% to send a message, but she partially redeemed herself by providing one of the diners at our table specialized biscuits without cheese (another food allergy). We were unaware that such was possible, so we were glad our guest could partake in such an offering. When we received them, we had so many that she had some to take with her leftovers. But again, the server had a flippant response to a request of butter to take with the biscuits, "You want butter? It's not butter, it's margarine, that's why I don't eat it". But she did bring what we requested. Another unfortunate experience - the provided silverware were filthy. So we asked for hot water to clean our utensils. Our server offered to simply bring us other utensils, but we thought it better to simply clean what we had. Sadly, it took her some time to bring said water. It was so long in coming, that I commented on such when she passed by our table without it nor mention of it. But she heard my comment and responded (from a distance, not directly at our table), "I didn't forget, I was serving the other diners". Which I thought was funny, considering we were seated and present well before the group to whom she was referring. When we did receive the water, she further commented that she hated that we had to clean them. It would be so much easier to bring another set or provide plasticware. We demurred, and continued to clean what we had. When we finished, the water that started clear was tinged yellow. Quite interesting, but at least our utensils were now clean. Lastly, the arrangers opted to bring a set of diners with small children within an area primarily with adult diners. This further exacerbated a negative experience. Not only were they disruptive and loud, but they were messy eaters (including the parents) and the children were standing and bouncing on the booth benches. I noticed one set of diners finish quickly and depart, claiming their check when their meal arrived. Why the restaurant would opt to mix such a set of diners was beyond my comprehension. It further diminished what was solely an adequate meal down to barely tolerable. Not...

Ordered mariners boil with the addition of sausage. Total $57.18. Found a whole rotten potato under the crab. I called and requested to speak to a manager. The young man who answered asked me what the problem was so I started to explain to him and I also told him that I have pictures of the food. So he said, “Oh let me go grab a manager.” Another guy got on the phone. I started telling him the same thing he said, “OK, let me go speak to a manager.” I thought he was the manager based on what the first guy told me. He came back. He said, “We can credit you $5 for the potato.” I said,” Five dollars! I’m kind of grossed out by this. I can’t finish this meal.” He tells me their thought process was that it’s just the potato. So I say, “I don’t know how you eat your food, but I don’t eat good food mixed in with rotten food. You guys boiled this together.” He said, “let me go get a manager.” Yet again. So finally the manager gets on (she identified herself) And she immediately starts giving me this song & dance of why she couldn’t get on sooner and she already sounds a bit hostile. I, at no time in speaking to any of them, raised my voice or got hostile. When I had said five dollars it was more of a shocked reaction. I start talking to this woman telling her the situation and stating that I have pictures as proof so you can see for yourself. I’m not maliciously or fraudulently trying to get a free meal. And I said, “I don’t understand how your thought process of crediting me five dollars is very thoughtful.” So then she wanted to bump it up to $10. I say, “I have rotten food cooked in my meal. I cannot eat this now.” Still I spoke in a very calm, soothing voice the whole time. She tells the info she received was that it was a crispy potato I had ordered so that’s why the offer was as such. So I reiterated what I ordered and my point. She had told me you know that the Mariners boil is $45 and change as if I didn’t know. So I say, “I paid almost $60 for this meal so apparently I don’t mind paying that because I purchased it. But I cannot eat rotten food. So she abruptly says, “I’ll take care of it!” So I said, “And what do you mean by take care of it?” So she says, “I canceled the order! I canceled it!” I tried to get her name, but she hung up abruptly. Why did she act like I prepared and cooked the damn food?! I don’t understand why ppl have a hard time taking accountability for their bad behavior or service. I had stopped going here because the food started dropping off. It had been awhile and then I tried them again. So the last time I visited this Woodbridge location, I witnessed an employee doing something nasty so I stopped going there again. It had been over a year and I lost my dang mind because the new CEO put out this new menu with the seafood boils! I said let me try them again. Stupid decision!! This Woodbridge location is horrible and I definitely will never go...

OK so let's start as my girlfriend and I first walked in. We noticed for the first time in our experience ever dining at Red Lobster that there were no lobsters in the lobster tank! Just bubbling water in a vacant tank. I guess this was a omen of things to come. First there was a stale air smell when we came in and when we sat down and were looking over our menus I noticed our menus kept sticking to the table. When our waiter came and got our drink order I asked could someone come and wipe down the table again. He informed me that the table had been wiped down it's just that several tables, not just ours has this problem and it's due to the tables needing to be refinished. 😒 OK so we rolled with the sticky tables. I used my menu as a place mat so that i wouldn't keep being distracted by the table. It took him awhile to return to take our food order, we then noticed he was doing double duty as our waiter and the bartender. The place didn't have many customers so I don't get that but whatever. Our drinks came my girl drink(flavored ice tea)was below average at best and my diet Pepsi was flat as our sticky table. When he took our food order I informed him of this and he said he would get me another one from a different location in the restaurant. Ok fingers crossed. My replacement drink was fine and we ate the freshly made biscuits and our shrimp appetizer. No issues there. He did forget the lemons we asked for with our drinks so we told him just bring them with our food order. Food arrived and everything looked and tasted fresh except the coleslaw I had ordered. It tasted off so I sent it back and got a different side that was fine. Still no lemons so I asked again and then he brought us every damn lemon slice in Woodbridge on a plate. On my refill drink the soda was back to being flat again. I told him and he said he would try one more time. He did and it was better. I was 2 for 2 on my drinks so I decided not to ask for another one for the road like I usually do. So like I said the rest of the food was the quality as expected . We noticed the family next to us was leaving not looking to pleased and most of there food was still on there plates. We heard some grumbles that their food was comped. Can't confirm that but it would make sense. Got our check, paid the bill I still gave a decent tip because somethings wasn't the waiters fault, other things not so much. We made our way leaving out the restaurant and a couple staff members thanked us for coming and said hope to see us again. Not likely i mumbled...