Red Lobster — Restaurant in Murfreesboro

We arrived for a late lunch around 1 pm and the parking lot was pretty empty. That should’ve been our first clue, however we had been talking about seafood all morning, so we had already made our minds up that’s what we were having. Anyhow, upon entering the restaurant, there was no one at the podium to greet us. We tried entertaining ourselves by looking at the lobsters, using the bathroom (very strong sewer smell), looking at pics, etc… We noticed 1 couple eating, 2 waitresses, and another lady standing in the “to-go” section. After 15 minutes of standing at the greeting station with no interaction from anyone, my husband decided to go find an employee. While he was gone (he found no one), the actual hostess showed up (she was the one waiting in the “to-go” section) and finally decided to seat us. Fast forward another 20 minutes and the waitress finally brings the menus and takes our drink order. We ordered an appetizer (she suggested crab queso) and it came alongside of our drinks another 20 mins later. The appetizer was actually good, so we overlooked the service thus far and hoped for a good meal. In the mean time, another couple that was seated next to us got up and left because of the lack of service. While waiting for our entrees, 2 of the 4 of us seated ran completely dry on our drinks and had to ask for refills once the food showed up over 30 mins later, with the waitress grunting, grimacing, and huffing over our food while delivering it.

Mind you, while we were waiting for our food, another couple was seated and had waited at least 15-20 mins to order their drinks as well.

Anyhow, I ordered one of their boils and it came out luke warm as opposed to hot, the sausage was dry & hard, and there was minimal butter and seasonings in the bag to coat the food with. Fast forward, we finish our meal, and my husband leaves a cash tip as opposed to writing it on the credit card receipt. When my husband gets up, the waitress comes over to me and tells me that my husband didn’t leave a big enough tip, which I would’ve normally agreed with (she said he left $16, he said he left $18) had the service been good, and told me that I needed to leave another tip on the ticket. She suggested 30% more on $160 tab. Needless to say, I left another $17 and was grimacing myself over that because this was probably the worst service that we’ve ever experienced at any restaurant, bar none. This is coming from someone who usually leaves 40-60% and sometimes over 100%. Anyhow, I think I was most blown away by the audacity of that situation. I get it, your establishment is slow so you’re not making a lot in tips, however since it ISN’T packed, one would think that the service would be quicker and the servers more attentive. Instead, it appeared like they were hiding out in the kitchen and participating in extracurricular activities. I truly HATE leaving a bad review, but I wanted to spare others the same experience. There’s a reason this establishment has no business. This was the 2nd and last time that we will eat there. Regardless, I’m sure that their doors will close permanently soon, as it seems that many people have had the same experience that we did. There are plenty of other delicious options nearby. Do yourself a favor and choose one of them instead so that you leave satisfied and with a smile...

Best part of our dining experience last night was our server Shae. She was so delightful right from the start. She worked with me to create a meal my 10yr old son would enjoy as the planned meals on the menu just weren't what I knew he'd eat and enjoy. With her help his dinner was perfect and filled him up. My husband forgot to bring his eye glasses in with him which meant he was struggling to make his meal selection however, Shae with her cheerful attitude and genuine smile, didn't rush him and in fact went on and placed our son's order while we figured out my husband's meal. She never once showed any stress or frustration. We got our meals ordered and everything was just as we had asked. There was a party of 18 that had come in and the kitchen got overwhelmed which caused a little delay on my son's shrimp cocktail but that was not a big deal. Shae handled herself very professional as well as human. Little did we know until much later that last night was only her second day!!! She is a wonderful example of a person with work ethic and pride. She was awesome from start to finish and I hope she sees this review as well as management because she deserves recognition. There were a couple minor things I'd like to just mention, not complain, just mention. 1: The restaurant wasn't super busy yet the wait to be seated was 20 mins. It just struck me as odd being that there were quite a few available tables even with accounting for social distancing. 2: The table we were seated at was a wall booth and the wall itself at eye level really needed a good scrubbing. I could tell there was food debris that has been there for some time. 3: The lighting at our table kept dimming down real low and then would flicker the whole time we were there. It was really hard to read the menu, especially so for my husband who as I mentioned earlier, forgot his eyeglasses. 4: The sink top in the ladies room was completely wet with standing water from both sinks. All 4 just minor things I noticed and wanted to mention. We truly enjoyed our special family dinner last night. The food was great, my husband and son were both happy and full. It's not often I get my guys tummys topped off. Overall it was a great experience and we will come back. Shae darlin you are a rockstar and I hope you believed me when I told you that you're doing a great job and you made our night. Thank you for that and my son said he thought you are "pretty cute" but didn't have the courage to tell...

I used to LOVE Red Lobster. We used to go regularly but haven’t been for a few months and I went for my birthday last night. The lobster flatbread was awesome and came quickly. I got my salad about 15 minutes later which seemed longer than needed but OK. Then we waited for an entire 45 minutes before the server came (did not see her before this) and said we were waiting on the pastas and everyone ordered pasta. I told her I hoped my all fried meal was not sitting in the window getting greasy and her eyes got big and she went to the back. In 10 more minutes we got all our food except the pasta (3 total). My fried food was old and greasy, like I was worried about. I was starving so I went ahead and ate it. I know the noodles and sauce are both microwaved and the shrimp goes through and 8 minute broiler so… not sure what happened. I saw others also waiting in food for as long as us so it was not the server. There were only 8-10 tables sat in the entire restaurant so it’s not like they were busy. We finally got our pasta 10 minutes later so we asked for to go boxes since it had been 1:30 - 1:45 hours at this point. My wife didn’t want me to make a scene or ask for a discount so I redeemed my birthday dessert and I went outside while my wife and daughter ate my dessert since I was not in the mood at this point. The Alfredo was super thin and not how it’s supposed to be so I’m guessing that was the holdup and they just threw something together. I can make Alfredo at home from scratch in 15-20 minutes using 3-4 ingredients. The tarter sauce has been changed and tasted super “tart” also and used to be one of my favorites in town and on top of that, the biscuits had NO salt! I worked there for 7 years back in 1997-2003 and have eaten there many times since. The menu also is now TINY with almost nothing except one dish under $30. I even forgot to scan my receipt in so missed out on $130 worth of points. I hope this paints a clear picture of why the restaurant is going downhill. I don’t think I’ll go back and will choose another seafood...