Red Lobster — Restaurant in Raleigh

I want to say first that our server was absolutely WONDERFUL. Any negativity attached to this review has nothing to do with her. We came in about 430pm on a Saturday on Dec. 28, 2024. I don't have her name but she was a white female in her mid to late 50's. It was surprisingly slow inside but I'm guessing we got in right before the weekend dinner rush. So the atmosphere was perfect. I'm not big on crowds so no complaints at this. We ordered chowder and lobster bisque for appetitizers. It came out fairly quick but both were cooler than room temperature. If you're paying $7.99 a bowl of something, this is not acceptable. We didn't bother complaining at the time as it was just a small part of the meal and I hate looking like 'that customer.' My wife actually brought it up and said, 'are soups supposed to be cold?' The rolls were hotter than the soup. So it wasn't just me. Our entrees were both pasta and lobster dishes. I think she had lobster and shrimp Alfredo with a salad. I had that new pasta dish with asparagus (the name evades me for now) both dishes in the 30 dollar range. Both absolutely flavorless. My wife stated her Alfredo lacked enough Alfredo sauce. Just plane Jane tasting and not worthy of a 30 dollar price tag. I felt the same my dish, extremely bland. We paid $95 with tip but we both left feeling like we paid about 50 bucks too much for what we received. I may take a little bit of a break before visiting again. I'm not looking for a hand out or a cookie cutter apology, sometimes it just us what it is.

Update: Red Lobster did reach out to me and asked that I give them a chance to make things well. I will give a try late Jan and report back but I do appreciate them reaching out.

1/26/2025- My wife and I went back. It was a Sunday afternoon, very busy. About a 30 minute wait. Waitress and hostess were excellent. Food was much better this time around. Clam chowders were hot. We both got the combo plates where you pick 4 items and 2 sides. The food was excellent. My only gripe was it was a bit of a wait for the food to come out but it was understandable due to how busy they were. Definitely a...

Going out of my way to give respect specifically for Tia and Joshua from Raleigh, NC!

I brought my family to Red Lobster for the first time and was extremely impressed by the food. However, I was more impressed by the host and server.

First, we walk in and Joshua was right there smiling to great us. He was as very warm and inviting. I felt like he wanted us there even though it was obvious that things were picking up in pace. Joshua smiled and held such incredible composure even after I physically saw someone be rude to him. (It was an employee at working with him who was rude to him. He tried to speak and this person literally ignored him when spoke and kept walking like they were stressed… and it wasn’t Tia) …::anyways Joshua is a keeper

Next, we were sat down with Tia. Tia is a superstar. She is extremely professional, educated and makes the best jalapeño pineapple margarita.

Tia had a rush come in and it seemed like she was the only server working. I literally saw her take 5 tables within ten min of taking my table. I watched her strategically plant out each table and correlate timing with good. It literally was a masterpiece. Every single time she spoke, she was classy and held composure. Y’all I’m not lying…. She was the bartender, the server for everyone and made herself look so professional like this was easy and her dream job. I mean really though, this type of work ethic between Joshua and Tia gets left unprotected and unnoticed. I pray God for all of us working ones off like Tia and Joshua and holding ourselves accountable to a standard of professionalism. Behavior and professionalism correlate. So do...

Management has got to do something about the to-go window. Several times I have ordered online and gone to pickup inside at the window. I am usually left waiting for 10+ minutes to be helped, usually with the bags of food sitting there getting cold. 3 out of the 4 times when they ask for my name and I give it to them they say that it is not ready and I wait another several minutes. When I get them to check again they then find that my order has been sitting there this whole time. It just happened again tonight. After waiting at the counter 10+ mins the young man came out with a to-go bag and placed it on the bar and asked for my name. I said picking up for J. SMALL and he says hold on and leaves for several more minutes. When he came back empty handed he asked the next person at the window who they were picking up for. When he checks the bag that he initially brought out a while back for their name he then says to me "you are picking up for J Small right?" and hands me my food that was sitting there getting cold. If this only happened once that would be fine, but 3 times out of 4 is ridiculous. There seems to be a systemic issue with your to-go process, and I'm pretty sure the poorly printed, barely readable tickets are part of that problem. I've noticed that the names on the ticket attached to the bag are difficult to read due to ink/printing issues. Please do better. That could be an easy fix that makes a big difference for your staff, because I don't believe they are doing this on purpose. And I always pre-tip about 20% for these...