Red Lobster ripoff, $75.00 over-cooked or stale seafood, used to be treat to eat there, Appleby's here I come. GOOD-BYE RED LOBSTER! Wichita Falls Texas

I just would like to commend on all the people here who have had bad experiences at Red Lobster. I have worked for Red Lobster for a while, and though I do not work there anymore, I still love to eat there. I just want to share with you how professional I have always seen situations handled at my restaurant in Michigan. I can't believe that Kyle's situation was handled the way it was, with an arrogant manager and only offered a free dessert! I assure you, at the RL I worked at, your drinks and appetizers would all have been free, if not your whole bill. That is really ridiculous. It does happen, though. One complaint I have about working at RL are that a lot of the servers are nitwits. I know, I have worked with them. It sucks that guests get bad service from them when it could be so easily avoidable. Like I said before, I still love eating there. I think the food is great. The fact that the food was bad on a particular night could have been attributed to a lot of things. The truck that supplies the restaurant only comes once a week, so the day before the restaurant is low on lots of stuff, and that's when the small crablegs get cooked. Also, new cooks and AC's don't usually know what they're doing, so overspiced and tough food could be blamed on them. I do think that if you have a complaint, however, you should voice it at the beginning of the meal, not afterward. As a server, I know how many people try to scam you out of free food. I have had people add on three orders of crab legs, eat ALL of them, and when the bill came said: "I didn't order that." Happens ALL the time. Also, the way you voice your complaint makes a lot of difference. I have seen my managers take off entire meals off the bills of guests who approached them calmly about having to wait a few extra minutes in the lobby. But I have also seen my managers shrug at people who demanded free appetizers if the drinks took two extra minutes on a Friday night when the bar is full, there are three bartenders sweating their behinds off, and there are fifty parties waiting to get in. Good example of this: on a Friday night when I was hostessing, we had a group of nine people come in. They walked in the door at 6 o'clock, when we are already getting really busy. They told me they needed a table for nine, and I told them that it would be an hour and a half, since we only have a few select places where we can put big tops. The lady said "OK," took her pager and went to wait outside. Fortyfive minutes later she comes in and tells me that the group is hungry and they want to get sat, right now! I calmly explained to her that that really was not possible as all our big tables were sat, and that I would call her as soon as we had something open. She managed to throw a fit about ridiculous waiting times, screamed at my general manager, wanted to know what "action would be taken" against me, and what the restaurant was willing to offer for her discomfort. They had not even waited half of their quote time!! I understand that it SUCKS to wait an hour and a half for a table, but come on, people do know that Friday nights are busy nights, long waits are to be expected and especially if you come in at peak hour with a horrible attitude, nine people and the expectation to get sat right away!! Anyways, I am getting off track. To the lady who said she would never eat at RL again, I just want to say... I don't think Applebees is nearly as good-food wise,AND service wise. I don't know how many times I have had to deal with cranky waitresses and arrogent hosts. Just come back in to RL. Try coming in on a Sunday afternoon (seems to be the smoothest night, at least where I worked). And as for Kyle, I assure you that that is a freak case, the arrogant manager at least. He was wrong in how you handled your case. Orders do get screwed up, and it is too bad that you have been a victim of this four times. But really, do come back in. I guarantee you that one of these days you will have a good dining experience!! :0)

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely night!

I have been a long time customer of RL. For the most part everything has been great. LOVE those garlic cheese biscuts!

Recently I had the 1 1/2 lbs of King Crab legs. They came with little help at getting into them.. but as a lover of crab I was up for the challenge. It seemd a bit overcooked, but as I neared the 1 lb mark I got about 1/2 lb of completely inedible dried out crab.

I mentioned this to the waitress who came back a few moments later to offer free desert. As I was full I happily accepted and took the desert home.

Best crab lately was the pre-cooked found at Albertsons. Just heat a couple minutes in the microwave.. It was very moist and cooked perfectly! Cheaper too! Still like RL, but I'll stick to shrimp scampi.

I have only eaten at Red Lobster 4 times in my entire life, and there is a reason for that. I have never had a problem with the quality of their food at all.

My problem is that all 4 times myself and my family dined at Red Lobster, our orders were screwed up.

The first 3 times we ate there we were brought the wrong food, but what happened the 4th time is the reason I will never eat there again.

My family decided to eat at Red Lobster one evening, I believe it was my birthday, and this is what happened....

We were seated, we were brought our drinks, and then the server took our order. 15 minutes pass, no food, 30 minutes pass, no food, 45 minutes pass, no food. Now this would have been acceptable if it had been busy, but it wasn't.

We started to notice other people being seated, having their orders taken, and receiving their food, and this was after we had already been sitting there for at least half an hour.

Finally, my father stopped our server and asked why people who had come in long after us were already eating, and we were still sitting there with nothing but our soft drinks.

Our server said he did not know and he went to the kitchen to check. Now I don't know if the cooks there receive orders on paper or on computer, but either way our order had somehow been "lost".

At this point my father asks to speak to a manager. So this manager comes to our table (I don't remember his name, this was a while back) and he asks what the problem is.

My father then proceeds to explain to him that by this point, we have been sitting at our table for an hour and we have not received our food. He also explained that what made him even more upset was that by this point we had seen other people who had come in after us get seated, get their food, eat, pay, and leave.

It was ridiculous. Now, I personally have worked in the restaraunt business myself before, so I know that sometimes mistakes are made, but both myself and my father felt that our server should have caught on that something was not right after about a half hour of us sitting there without our meals.

Perhaps I should have spoken up sooner about the fact that we had been there long enough that we should have already gotten our food, but that still does not excuse our server from totally neglecting to see the problem.

Again, I must stress that it was not busy at the time, so it wasn't like our server was "swamped" with other customers. It was also never explained to us exactly how our order got lost between our table and the kitchen.

I was upset, so was my father, and in all honesty I think we had every right to be. So anyhow, this manager can offer no explanation whatsoever, his solution to this problem was to offer us a free dessert.

He also says this with an attitude and a smug look on his face, I suppose he was offended by the fact that we were upset with the situation.

Well, his tone of voice and the look on his face did not slip by me, and I proceeded to tell him that his offer of a free dessert was comparable to a slap in the face after the amount of time we had wasted sitting around waiting for an order that somehow was never even put in.

Now I realize that Red Lobster is not the most "upscale" eatery in the world, but my family does not have much money, and this was a meal that between myself, my father, my brother, my mother, and my girlfriend would have cost at the least anywhere between $150 and $180 when you add up the fact that we were going to have drinks, appetizers, entrees, and possibly desserts.

For my family, that is not a small amount of money, and after the amount of time we had been basically ignored, I just felt that an offer of a free dessert was a bit petty, considering the amount of money we had planned on spending in this restaraunt.

So since it was my birthday, and it had been my choice to eat at Red Lobster, I made the decision to tell this manager not to worry about a free dessert, or putting our order in for a second time, we would just find somewhere else to eat.

Please understand, we were upset, but we were never aggressive or verbally abusive in our complaints. If anyone was rude at that table that day it was the manager who seemed as though he could have cared less that we had received such poor service.

So as we got up to leave, we did not receive one apology. Not from the manager, not from our server, not from anyone. I could not believe that this man could be so uncaring and nonchalant about our situation.

To be completely honest with you guys, I was actually amazed that these people did not try to charge us for our soft drinks, which was all we got after sitting at our table for over an hour when all was said and done.

So that was it for me. After 3 visits to Red Lobster where we got the wrong orders, and this final time where we got no food at all, I decided I would never dine in a Red Lobster ever again.

A free dessert....what a joke! I would not have expected to have our entire meal given to us for free or anything like that, but as a person who has worked in the food business before, I do know a thing or two about good customer service, and after what we went through with these people, I think a better gesture could have been made to help remedy the mistake that they made.

I know some people will read this and say that I sound like a jerk, but I can assure you all that I am one of the friendliest people you will ever meet, my entire family is very friendly and laid back, but the service (or lack thereof) that we received at Red Lobster that day is something I cannot forgive.

I let their mistakes slide on 3 other occasions as I stated before, but that 4th time did it. I will never eat at Red Lobster again, and if there is anyone else here that has had a similar experience to mine, I would hope that you would not eat there again either.

I can truly say that it was the absolute worst experience I have ever had at any restaraunt, and the fact that we didn't even receive an apology for their mistake made me realize even more that these people do not deserve my hard earned money.

Thanks for reading my rant, have a wonderful day everyone!!

First, Peter:

Yes I honestly think that such a comparison can be made in all fairness? Food is food. How it's cooked is just an observation. And as I said, in the past I had always thought Rl's crab legs were pretty good, usually nothing to complain about. Until I had the ones at the Stratosphere. Then I could see what a difference. Does that mean RL is bad? No. Does it mean that something is awry in RL's cooking or selection of product? Yes.

Second, bigscampi:

How can you say that the problem is just "learning how to eat them" when it was the same people, my wife and I, eating them at both places. It is not the expense, and by the way, the buffet there was less than a typical similar meal at RL would have been. I plainly acknowledged that, for the most part, I really enjoy a meal at RL and the food is usually good. I also pointed out occasions where there were problems and how I have learned to avoid those times/days, etc. If you think every RL in the country produces superb quality meals, each and every time, no matter how busy they may be, you are the one who is mistaken.

Red Lobster has the freshest food around, the crablegs that are served in vegas come from the same ocean that provides the crablegs at Red Lobster and it does not take an expert chef to cook them you just have to learn how to eat them and appreciate them and if you think it is better when it is more expensive then maybe we should add 25% to your bill and make you feel like royalty.

To the person who compared the crab legs at Red Lobster to those at the Stratosphere Hotel ...

Do you honestly think that such a comparison can be made in all fairness? You are comparing food from a cheap, quick-service, chain restaurant to that of a five-star eating establishment.

Of course the crab legs at the Stratosphere are going to be better. They are larger, fresher, cooked to perfection by expert chefs, and of course more expensive than those at Red Lobster, where food is purchased in bulk from whichever wholesaler is cheapest, and then prepared by inexperienced "cooks," whose only training is often by Red Lobster itself and who make on average $7 an hour.

If you desire the delicious crab legs from the Stratosphere, DO NOT try to find them at Red Lobster. They simply DO NOT EXIST.

I think you complain too much......every red lobster Ive ever visited has always served a good
Presentable and delicious dish.
The meal seem fair enough.
Applebys food in turn is horrible.
their food tastes too plasticy and their food inventions do not apeal to my tastes.
Service is ok, but ive had better

I think you complain too much......every red lobster Ive ever visited has always served a good
Presentable and delicious dish.
The meal seem fair enough.
Applebys food in turn is horrible.
their food tastes too plasticy and their food inventions do not apeal to my tastes.
Service is ok, but ive had better

I think you complain too much......every red lobster Ive ever visited has always served a good
Presentable and delicious dish.
The meal seem fair enough.
Applebys food in turn is horrible.
their food tastes too plasticy and their food inventions do not apeal to my tastes.
Service is ok, but ive had better

I really like Red Lobster and most of the time, the ones I frequent are pretty good, the food is prepared well, tastes good and the service is good. However, I have had more than a few occurences of poor results in one or more areas mentioned. For one thing, my wife often gets their Crab Legs, as part of her platter. We always thought they were pretty good, although sometimes a little too tough to get out of the shell.

Well, last Sept. we went to Vegas and ate at the Buffet Restaurant in the Stratosphere Hotel. They had the best Crab Legs we'd ever had. Tasted good and slid right out of the shell, I don't know what RL does wrong to theirs. Also, I have had poor lobster, on occasion at RL, either way too tough or way too mushy.

Also, I have had a few times of very poor customer service, either at the waiting or my table service. One other thing, all of these negative traits greatly increas when RL is crwded or very crowded. I guess their setup just can't handle the large crowds. Now I try to eat at less peak times, not on holidays, and if on Fri or Sat, as early as I can bear to eat, 5ish or so.

It is difficult to deduce whether you have a valid complaint or are suffering from cheapskate-syndrome.

First of all, just for the record, you state that you will not return to Red Lobster "if you have to pay." So if it is free, then suddenly everything is fine and you will eat there again?

What else ... let's see - you did not get enough dressing to "cover your lettuce." That should not have been a problem. Did you ask for more dressing when the waitress returned to your table? Most people do not wish to "cover their lettuce" with dressing, which is why the restaurant provides the amount that they do. Simply ask for more if you wish to eat some salad with your dressing.

Also ... it seems like you and your dining partner enjoyed a fairly large meal. If everything about the meal was unsatisfactory, why did you continue to eat it? You cannot expect to get your meal for free if you eat all of it. My suggestion to you is, next time, complain about it at the beginning when you first realize that something is wrong, and ask the waitress to take it off your bill. It does not sound to me like you asked the waitress to do anything - you just voiced a complaint, and then was dissatisfied when the waitress did not do what you wanted. Well, how is she supposed to know what you want if you do not tell her?

Your comment about Applebee's is quite humorous. I hope you are not being serious. Not only does Applebee's not serve lobster, crab legs,and other delicacies, but really - have you eaten there before? Sheesh ... they are home to the deep-fat fryer. Enjoy those chicken nuggets and fish sticks!

It is difficult to deduce whether you have a valid complaint or are suffering from cheapskate-syndrome.

First of all, just for the record, you state that you will not return to Red Lobster "if you have to pay." So if it is free, then suddenly everything is fine and you will eat there again?

What else ... let's see - you did not get enough dressing to "cover your lettuce." That should not have been a problem. Did you ask for more dressing when the waitress returned to your table? Most people do not wish to "cover their lettuce" with dressing, which is why the restaurant provides the amount that they do. Simply ask for more if you wish to eat some salad with your dressing.

Also ... it seems like you and your dining partner enjoyed a fairly large meal. If everything about the meal was unsatisfactory, why did you continue to eat it? You cannot expect to get your meal for free if you eat all of it. My suggestion to you is, next time, complain about it at the beginning when you first realize that something is wrong, and ask the waitress to take it off your bill. It does not sound to me like you asked the waitress to do anything - you just voiced a complaint, and then was dissatisfied when the waitress did not do what you wanted. Well, how is she supposed to know what you want if you do not tell her?

Your comment about Applebee's is quite humorous. I hope you are not being serious. Not only does Applebee's not serve lobster, crab legs,and other delicacies, but really - have you eaten there before? Sheesh ... they are home to the deep-fat fryer. Enjoy those chicken nuggets and fish sticks!

It is difficult to deduce whether you have a valid complaint or are suffering from cheapskate-syndrome.

First of all, just for the record, you state that you will not return to Red Lobster "if you have to pay." So if it is free, then suddenly everything is fine and you will eat there again?

What else ... let's see - you did not get enough dressing to "cover your lettuce." That should not have been a problem. Did you ask for more dressing when the waitress returned to your table? Most people do not wish to "cover their lettuce" with dressing, which is why the restaurant provides the amount that they do. Simply ask for more if you wish to eat some salad with your dressing.

Also ... it seems like you and your dining partner enjoyed a fairly large meal. If everything about the meal was unsatisfactory, why did you continue to eat it? You cannot expect to get your meal for free if you eat all of it. My suggestion to you is, next time, complain about it at the beginning when you first realize that something is wrong, and ask the waitress to take it off your bill. It does not sound to me like you asked the waitress to do anything - you just voiced a complaint, and then was dissatisfied when the waitress did not do what you wanted. Well, how is she supposed to know what you want if you do not tell her?

Your comment about Applebee's is quite humorous. I hope you are not being serious. Not only does Applebee's not serve lobster, crab legs,and other delicacies, but really - have you eaten there before? Sheesh ... they are home to the deep-fat fryer. Enjoy those chicken nuggets and fish sticks!