Red Lobster

Have you ever walked into a place and all of a sudden felt a strong positive vibe? No? Well it’s this one place I know as soon as you walk through the doors you sense happiness, joy, delight, and pleasure. Not only can you sense it, but you see multiple families with all types of smiles and laughter. I couldn’t believe my eyes nor what I was feeling. Red Lobster’s scenery was very overwhelming. I’ve been going to Red Lobster for years and not once did I have a bad experience. Until recently that all changed. One weekend I was on vacation in Orlando with my mom, sister, and one of her friends. We were dying of hunger but didn’t want to go far from the house since we had been driving all day to get there. My sister brought up a theory saying “Hey I saw a Red Lobster down the street. Why don’t we just go their instead?” We all agreed to go but little did we know it was about to go downhill. I normally have great moments at red lobster but this one was not.

In my head all I'm thinking about is what delicious plate I should order. Arriving to Red Lobster it was a slight delay on getting us seated which was odd because they usually have great customer service. The waitress got us settled in a booth. Each one of us ordered our drinks and browse the menu. Once we received our drinks, I noticed an insect swimming in my lemonade like it was pool. I was shocked and disgusted so I received another lemonade. I didn’t have a bug in this one but it wasn’t even cold, everybody else’s beverage wasn’t cold either. So far, I'm not liking this experience. 

Red Lobster started around March 1968 in Lakeland Florida. Darden restaurants was the original owner until 2014 when Golden Gate Capital became its new owner. Darden restaurants actually sold RL to generate higher value for the company and shareholders. They have expanded to 700 locations in 11 countries. Red Lobster is also known to be one of the best family friendly restaurants that sell overpriced seafood. Their source of food comes from different seas over the globe such as the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. Based off these facts it’s been claimed that Red Lobster is a five-star restaurant. If the ratings say its five stars then why did I witness a two star experience. 

I took notes on other things while sitting at the booth waiting to be served. I noticed how the waitress was a little slow moving between tables. She would also forget what you would ask of her; for example a refill of your beverage. She maintained having a smile on her face and was polite throughout the night. Another thing that caught my attention was there weren't many people on the floor serving. I assumed they were low of staff that night. Other tables were having the exact same problem of how slow the wait time was just to get served. 

There was only one thing that I truly enjoyed while being at the restaurant. I was speechless every time a fresh batch of biscuits hit the center of our table. I savor every moment when i take a bite. The flavor kept my mouth watering hoping i could get unlimited biscuits forever. It’s like the flavor swept me off my feet. Not only was it the biscuits. I was also served my meal which was a simple shrimp and fries but this didn’t taste like your average shrimp and fries. Each bite made it feel like they put something magical into the food. I'm not a big fan of seafood but the taste was ever lasting on my tongue. I suddenly had the erge to try different dishes.

My family wasn’t pleased with the overall experience. Not even the food changed their mind. Throughout the night we only enjoyed each others presence and conversation. We wondered why we actually sat their hoping things would be better. At that point we just wanted to hurry up to eat so we can leave. 

I began to wonder why this Red Lobster was so much different. It started to hit me and I realized what if this happens a lot just in different locations. A lightbulb clicked in my head and I got the idea of finding what Red Lobster is really about. I wanted to know what their goal is, what symbolizes their restaurant, where does their supply come from, and do they even have a nutritious menu.

I couldn’t resist much longer, I needed to know more information. In my head I cut on a switch and I instantly became a Sherlock Holmes Jr. Instantly I felt the nerve to actually interview an employee or manager. I took the time to go to a Red Lobster near me so I can interview a manager to help me understand what they symbolize. I met up with a manager named Johnathan Grey and I asked him what their top goal is on a daily basis. He told me, “Red Lobster’s main objective is to give off great customer service and sales.” Red Lobster is trying to earn their keep of being one of the top restaurants serving seafood all across the world. Red Lobster has set high standards since they first opened up and still wants to continue to exceed. They explain to the people that “Our commitment to creating and upholding standards that ensure availability of seafood for generations” (“Seafood with Standards”). Behind the scenes they receive their food supply from a special company that delivers to them. Also, I realized that within their menu they have a diversity of food. The menu contains a no gluten free section, but most of the menu is 85% sea food, and 15% land. With that being said everything is majority healthy and you can tell just by looking at each dish to see how many calories with quantity count. An exciting fun fact to increase sales bartenders are able to make their own drinks and sell them. Red lobster goes out their own way to satisfy whoever walks through the door. It's important to them that they want to keep a long-term commitment of the seafood they serve. 

This restaurant has way more to offer then just food. They also give back to the community. One way they give back is Red Lobster having their very own shares program where they donate food to local food pantries and different organizations almost every week. It’s been said they have donated 20 million meals. Another way they help people is an employee emergency assistance fund. Each employee tabs in a certain amount for whenever a team member needs to cover unexpected expenses. Last but not least since Red Lobsters headquarters are in Orlando, they save tons of money for the Boys & Girls Club, supply and toy drives.

I don’t know about you but Red Lobster still has me on its side. I know running a restaurant isn’t easy but they play it off smooth with no hesitation that we the people are their true goal. Their goal is our satisfaction and of course our money but, in a way, they earn it. In my perspective I see that the bad experience I had was just a night that wasn’t planned out the way they hoped. I’m still a little curious to go to different locations to see how they function. 

Whether its customer service, the food, or even the sales goal to reach after every night it’s their job to achieve greatness and success. I started to believe that within any restaurant there will be bad experiences going to happen because nothing goes perfect all the time. Even if I experienced one bad night, I still drag myself to eat their whenever I can. One incident can’t rewrite the good memories had. I see It as a balanced, there will be good times and bad but don’t expect too much. 

Works Citied

"Red Lobster" by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

""Red Lobster"" by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

Grey, Johnathan. Personal Interview. 25 Sept. 2019

“Seafood with standards.”  Red Lobster, 25 Sept. 2019, https://www.redlobster.com/our-story/seafood-with-standards/our-beliefs