Red Lobster — Restaurant in Riverside

The only plus I can give this restaurant is the hostess told us at first, the wait for our family of 16 was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. But instead, they were able to seat us at a table in one hour. For a Friday night, that wasn't too bad. But after that, it goes downhill.

They were short staffed, took awhile to get our food, service was very slow. We had a large family of 16 and only one server. She seemed inexperienced and new at her job. I won't say her name because she wasn't rude, just not the greatest at her job. She had a difficult time taking care of us. No one was helping her, she was all alone. But, giving her the benefit of the doubt, even though my family did not agree, I still gave her a good tip and it was even more than 20%. I am not that type of customer that doesn't tip. Honestly though, she could have made way more that evening if she had been more experienced at her job and carried a little bit of a conversation with us. But she seemed really nervous and overwhelmed. We were there for over 2 and a 1/2 hours due to the slow service, when it should have been about an hour at the most. The only time the service seemed fast, was when it was time to pay the bill. And for that, she stayed close by and waited for me to pay. And dinner was not cheap! I don't mind paying when the service is worth the money. This time though, it was not. Sadly, we won't be coming here again.

The manager did come by to ask how things were for us but that was about 30 minutes after we had sat down. We told him all was fine at that time. Yet, he really should have waited and came over when we were about to leave, we would have then given him a different answer. I thought it was also sad that I saw the managers of the restaurant hanging out and talking to each other throughout the evening but didn't help the server who was taking care of us. If I saw that my employee was struggling or overwhelmed, as a manager, I would have helped her out or had another server assist her with her table. I thought that was cold-hearted to leave her struggling the way she was.

Honestly, this was the worst service we have had at a restaurant. I hate to say that but it's the truth. We have had large family dinners at other restaurants and never had any issues. The servers were always able to take care of us without any concerns whatsoever. But this Red Lobster location? Very disappointing at how bad the service was. I regret coming here with my family. Wish we had went somewhere else because we spent a good amount of money at that visit and yet, it was not worth the money we...

The hubs and I went to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and I think we simply chose the wrong time of day to show up. It was just before 4:30pm, and, at least, five staff members showed up behind us. There was no one out front, so we waited, and waited, as crew member after crew member walked this way and that. One person eventually said someone would be with us, and more time passed. Our waitress was very nice. She seemed quite distracted, however. Our section wasn't very packed, but I suppose it was busy enough. We waited quite some time for our waters, and the biscuits. After taking our order, the food arrived rather quickly. My mashed potatoes were cold. It was odd, because the rest of my food was hot. Perhaps they were placed on the plate first, before the rest of the food was cooked? We needed tartar sauce, ketchup, and cocktail sauce. When it finally arrived, there wasn't enough for each plate. We were asked if we wanted more biscuits. We did, but they never came. Perhaps she didn't here our, "Yes" response? Also, there was an upcharge on one of the drinks, when we specifically asked if there was a deviation from the listed price. The hot food was delicious. The cold mashed potatoes was very disappointing. The lack of attention to the specific requested condiments and additional biscuits, was very disappointing, as well. We did receive a refill on our water, and after specifying again, we received the correct number of condiments and lids for our leftovers. By the time we left, it was busy. Every table in our section was filled, and there was a line out front. I have mixed feelings about this visit, as it seems things got better by the end, when it was actually busy. We've received better service from Denny's, on a Saturday morning, and they stay packed! Red Lobster earned two stars. I hope they can redeem themselves, IF I ever decide to go back....

Really mediocre service. The waitress really wasn't any busier than most others I have seen during frequent regular dining. Actually, the restaurant was fairly empty. I was extremely polite and didn't make any unusual demands. I also was willing to give her time to bring me things, such as beverage refills. I had also asked her at the beginning of the meal to please keep my beverages coming. It was a hot summer day and I was feeling a little dehydrated. The food was brought out hot and within a reasonable amount of time. However, it was a real struggle to get my drinks refilled. The first drink came out about 2/3 full, which was a bit of a surprise, as I never had that occur before, especially at a place in the Red Lobster price range. When my drink was empty I waited until she passed by to politely ask for a refill. Several minutes later, after watching her pass by to other tables I had to ask her again. About 5 minutes later, in the course of seeing to other tables, she returned with a half-full glass. The food was good, but not great. My wife likes Red Lobster, so when she asks, I oblige. However, on previous trips to this location I've regularly had to send food back to the kitchen because it came out lukewarm--especially the steaks. As a result we only go here once every few years, and it probably had been five years since we were last here. The fish and chips today were good (but not great), as was the key lime pie and the clam chowder soup. My wife liked her food, so we ordered one of the specially-priced pasta dishes to go, which was a good value. I would be much happier telling you about what a great time I had, as I have done with other businesses here and on another dining site, but maybe an honest review will have some...