Red Lobster — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Let me start by saying that the food was definitely on point. I went this past Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023 and ordered the special, steak and lobster. The steak was slightly overcooked ( I ordered medium well, it came out well down) Honestly the flavor was so good, I did not mind it, but the lobster was the true star of the dish, I could not believe how fresh and perfectly cooked it was, the Chef aced it. I would highly consider returning again in hopes it's just as consistent. I also ordered the stuffed mushrooms, again, well made, fresh and cooked perfectly, as well as a side of rice for ny daughter.

Our Server Ely was outstanding! He was taking care of the full section, and still managed to be attentive, amicable, courteous and professional. So why only 4 stars? Unfortunately, the drinks/bartender were not up to par (that night) and neither was the female manager on staff. We ordered 2 beers, both of which came with a bit too much foam on the top, so it's ultimately less beer. The beer was fresh and enjoyable, but I did share with Ely my slight disappointment and instantly he offered a round on him, which was much appreciated of course. Close to the end of the meal, I decided to order one more round of beers, and the beers came back with the majority of foam. I really did not want complain, so I drank my beer and asked for the check. My family member was pretty upset and annoyed, so I offered to buy one more for her. Ely offered a to go cup, which was kind of him, however the beer came with so much foam it was like half the cup. My family member was really annoyed at this point bc I was pretty much paying for half empty cups, so I told her to ask the bartender if he can shave off the top, and top it off, which is what he should have been doing all along, but he refused apparently, stating he had already given her two beers for free! No, correction, we ordered 5 beers, and you gave us one beer each on the house, which more accurately was requested by our service and not by him. The manager had become involved (no, there was no scene, just a conversation/debate by the bar) and both the manager and my guest returned to the table. However, it was her tone and overall vibe/presence that was not polite in the least. She focused on the fact that we had already received a beer on the house, at which point it was explained by myself, and the server that we had ordered all our beers, including the one to go, and were not asking for free beer at all, it was a kind gesture to remedy the situation but I Was Paying!

It was pretty upsetting, and a bit uncomfortable. Honestly, the way in which Ely spoke to us, the manner in which he handled the issue, and clarified the situation to his manager on our behalf shows that he has the skills, professionalism and work ethic to work with customers/guests on a higher level, and moreover Manage, as opposed to solely serve.

This specific establishment should reevaluate how staff are equally trained to find positive solutions, as opposed to focus on loss of inventory..."You get more bees with honey"...and you maintain repeat customers, which are stronger in the long run, than people passing through, and make it a point not to return because of a bad experience. I have not decided if I'd return yet, as I stated the food was great, the Chef should be very proud, and our Server was impeccable. The bartender and the manager that night (around 6pm)... not so much. If I do return, I will post an update on my experience. Sorry for the lengthy explanation, but this specific case/rating/review warranted an explanation beyond the food was good or bad. I'm hoping it's read and addressed because I would very much like to return and, not only feel comfortable, but know that some simple things changed...

I’ve had the worst experience at the red lobster in valley stream. First there was a delay in seating us, when we got seated it took 25 mins for someone to acknowledged us and it was only because I said something . Our server was Nicholas we had him a few weeks prior and the service was poor. Thankfully the manager Keion was able to rectify the matter. Today It was just two of us, he started off with asking us what to drink….We asked for water with lemon and a raspberry iced tea…he brought over only 3 biscuits which didn’t seem to make sense and brought back the drinks but no lemon in the water….he took our order and brought the appetizer without any utensils. I had to ask for plates and utensils and more biscuits . When he came back we received plastic utensils and was told that there were no sliverware available and the biscuits would take 15mins. We waited and waited for another 25mins and no biscuits. We the heard the server tell another person to serve us our food. When we got the food it was luke warm. We got a shrimp trio and lobster and shrimp pasta. It was all dry not edible. As I was eating I felt something in my mouth. When I spit it out it was a patch of hair what seems to look like someone lashes. I became completely nauseated that I had to run to the restroom to vomit. Another 20+ mins passed by our server never came to check on us to even ask us how was everything and if we needed anything. Meanwhile we saw him assisting other tables Next to us. The way he treated us was as if we weren’t there at all. I had to ask the buss boy to get the manage Sam to assist. Sam looked at the hair said he needed to investigate and never came back to follow up. Nicholas just slapped us with the bill and left. I’ve never been treated so poorly. There was no empathy at all as if the food being served was free. This is the second time in a few weeks I’ve had Nicholas as my server. We were going to request another server but then decided to give him another chance since maybe it was a bad day last time but this time the service was worst from him. I felt like McDonald’s served me better than him. As a manager in the hospitality industry this behavior is by unacceptable. This facility lacks professionalism and good customer service. The employees lack empathy and the atmosphere is very ghetto. I employee seemed to be there only to collect a paycheck and not provide quality customer service. As a paying customer this is unacceptable. The food is costly and no customer should be treated this way. This is my 3 time in about a month and it’s gotten worse. The treatment we received makes us feel to never want go back. Poor service by employees and then hair in the food by unacceptable and disgusting. I rather go eat at McDonald’s. Nicholas is a poor representation for front of the house and needs to be coached and counseled or terminated. He got a second change and failed terribly. Corporate please follow up with...

My family went to the Green Acres Red Lobster on 06/05/2024 to celebrate our mother's birthday, she would have been 78 and we have gone to this location for years. My mother brought the family there the week the restaurant opened and it has always held a special place for us. Unfortunately, our last experience was horrible and with the chain in deep financial trouble, this will probably be our last visit and final impression of Red Lobster.

We were seated quickly however the positives ended there.

The restaurant smelled odd, and the table was slightly moist with a faintly off scent. I suspect that the rags are not rinsed and sanitized correctly. Our waiter came over after a while and we ordered water and drinks, then my sister asked a very clear question about the specials. He proceeded to answer a different question and every time she tried to explain he instead explained a detail not relevant to her question. He was not listening to what she was asking and maybe assumed that she did not understand, or he was trying to answer what most people ask; I am not sure. To be somewhat, fair let's chalk that up to a possible communication issue. We placed our meal orders with little further incident.

After waiting for 20 minutes, we still did not have our water, and not once did he come to check on us. Sitting near us there were at least two other tables where the patrons were getting frustrated with him. One table did not get their appetizer until they were done with their meal.

The final straw was when the table next to us, which was seated about 10 mins after us received not only their water but a salad and cocktail (one drink was served in a copper cup, which is only used for a mule).

We decided that waiting 30 minutes with no water was enough and got up to leave and my sister went to the front desk to speak to a manager. As we got to the front the waiter came to the reception desk with a tray with our water, but not the cocktails that were ordered at the same time, asking what was wrong. When my sister explained he did not apologize, but instead made an excuse that the other table got served first because they had a medical issue. If they had only gotten water and maybe the salad I would have considered believing him, but they got a cocktail. There are no medical issues that require alcohol. As we waited at the desk, listening to his lame excuses, two other staff members came over to see what the issue was, neither was a manager nor even made an effort to get one when we asked, and all the while the phone was ringing and not one of the 3 moved to answer it. We left, went to Hook and Reel, and had an amazing time.

I understand that RL is having a hard time and that staffing is a challenge even during the best of outlooks; however, experiences like this will only serve to hasten the downfall and ensure that a once-endeared institution is remembered...