Someone explain the appeal of Red Lobster to me.

[James Patrick]

I love fish. I love shrimp, crab, lobster --- love seafood, so that's not the problem with me. But I go to Red Lobster and it all tastes flat to me. Even their fresh menu. Not terrible, just not . . . good. I had scallops the other day there, and no taste. None. I've been to a couple Red Lobsters in different areas, so it's not a locational thing. I rarely go, but everyone once in awhile the wife brings it up and we go and the food is exactly the same. It doesn't taste like good seafood. To me, they're just not good at what they do. Sometimes I think it's because seafood should be fresh and it has to do with shipping, but I've gone to Red Lobster's in Florida, and I've had good fish at places thousands of miles from the ocean. But here's the thing, they've been around forever, they're always crowded, and most of all -- THEY'RE EXPENSIVE. For franchises, they're in the upper tier of pricing. Yet people go and go and go, -- and I don't get it. It's one of life's great mysteries to me. Someone explain their popularity if they like it.

[En Sabah Poo]

Probably because its convenient, inexpensive, and something people are accustomed to/feel comfortable with.

[MattN]

Their bread is pretty good.

[James Patrick]

Probably because its convenient, inexpensive, and something people are accustomed to/feel comfortable with.

that's the thing though, it's not inexpensive. Their lunches are, but two people eating there is usually 40 to 60 bucks.

[James Patrick]

Their bread is pretty good.

yes

[Jew Mafia]

I was there for the first time in years the other night, it was pretty decent.

[En Sabah Poo]

that's the thing though, it's not inexpensive. Their lunches are, but two people eating there is usually 40 to 60 bucks.

In my experience, most places don't have another sea food alternative, and if they do, you're looking at a much more expensive meal.

[Ray G.]

They really are not reasonable at all, but I found their food to be pretty good quality.

[costello]

My wife craves Red Lobster and we live in New England, 30 minutes from the ocean.

I don't get it either. Maybe it's the visual appeal the commercials have? The dinners look great on tv, but Red Lobster is really only upscale fast-seafood. Maybe some of the people who eat the stuff never eat fresh seafood?

[Dreaded Anomaly]

I have never felt the need even to go inside of one.

However, when I'm in Maine, I can drive 5 minutes from my house and get the best shellfish in the country, so perhaps I'm a bit spoiled. :)

[costello]

Probably because its convenient, inexpensive, and something people are accustomed to/feel comfortable with.

I want your paycheck. Red Lobster's pretty expensive, at least for my household.

[Ray G.]

I live in a virtual sea of chain restaurants. Seriously, it's kind of disgusting. And having been to just about every one at least once, it's up there with Charlie Brown's as one of the few I consider to serve actual good food usually. The best by far is Bonefish Grill, though. They're a class operation.

[Taxman]

The one thing that should always remind people here just how quickly Las Vegas has grown is the fact that the local paper still conducts an annual readers survey on all things entertainment. The thing is so ridiculous, that Taco Bell consistently wins the "best taco" category. But hey, in a metro area of two million, how many people have ever eaten the best taco in town, wherever that might be served. How many outlets can even become prolific enough to create a frame of reference which could compete with Taco Bell?

The singular thing here which annoys me the most is the continual presence of Olive Garden as best Italian food. I freakin' hate Olive Garden, and this is a town with litterally hundreds of great Italian restaurants.

[James Patrick]

My wife craves Red Lobster and we live in New England, 30 minutes from the ocean.

I don't get it either. Maybe it's the visual appeal the commercials have? The dinners look great on tv, but Red Lobster is really only upscale fast-seafood. Maybe some of the people who eat the stuff never eat fresh seafood?

i think this is part of it. i grew up on a lake -- and was spoiled to good fresh water fish. perch, haddock, etc . . it all had that magnificent texture and taste without being too fishy. and oh god, the catfish.

however, i've had fish at other restaurants and it's not FLAT. red lobster is just flat.

[Colby]

it is, to a large extent, in the cheddar biscuits.

[James Patrick]

i just dont' feel they're good at what they do.

[ZombieSpeedball]

I love shrimp and crab. But I fucking hate fish.


Nothing more to add, I just fucking hate fish.

[Ray G.]

Their Ultimate Feast is actually pretty damn good. A lobster tail, crab legs, fried shrimp, and shrimp scampi. :drool:

[Patrick J]

It's the Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

[costello]

i think this is part of it. i grew up on a lake -- and was spoiled to good fresh water fish. perch, haddock, etc . . it all had that magnificent texture and taste without being too fishy. and oh god, the catfish.

however, i've had fish at other restaurants and it's not FLAT. red lobster is just flat.

Chain restaurants? The problem with places like Red Lobster is because it's a chain, an entree in NY needs to taste the same as in LA. The goal of consistency is more important than quality. I can apply your Red Lobster seafood experience to Olive Garden's Italian cuisine, or Ruby Tuesday's burger's, or The 99's steaks.

[gaspar]

They're relatively inexpensive if you go for lunch. My wife and I just went on Sunday and for the two of us to have a meal, salad, drink, and those awesome cheddar biscuits it was under $25 out the door after tax, tip, etc. It's not the best seafood, but it's decent and you know what you're going to get. I don't go very often because there are definitely better places, but that's why I go.

Oh, but I did have one complaint...the fish I got was bony as hell this last time. I hate that.

[costello]

i just dont' feel they're good at what they do.

You're right, because of your eating habits. Grow up in upstate NY, the only fish your dad catches is trout, and he can't cook worth shit. Now imagine whenever you go out to eat you're not allowed to order seafood because it's too expensive. Eventually the food gains some sort of forbidden pleasure because you see people eating and loving it, but you can't have any. Now pretend you're sheltered like this for 18 years. By the time you can afford seafood it could taste like dog shit and you wouldn't care. Red Lobster looks classy and y ou're eatng seafood.

[Patch]

I love fish. I love shrimp, crab, lobster --- love seafood, so that's not the problem with me. But I go to Red Lobster and it all tastes flat to me. Even their fresh menu. Not terrible, just not . . . good. I had scallops the other day there, and no taste. None. I've been to a couple Red Lobsters in different areas, so it's not a locational thing. I rarely go, but everyone once in awhile the wife brings it up and we go and the food is exactly the same. It doesn't taste like good seafood. To me, they're just not good at what they do. Sometimes I think it's because seafood should be fresh and it has to do with shipping, but I've gone to Red Lobster's in Florida, and I've had good fish at places thousands of miles from the ocean. But here's the thing, they've been around forever, they're always crowded, and most of all -- THEY'RE EXPENSIVE. For franchises, they're in the upper tier of pricing. Yet people go and go and go, -- and I don't get it. It's one of life's great mysteries to me. Someone explain their popularity if they like it.

You've noticed the masses eating this average food and acting as if they like it? You've woken from the Matrix, Neo. Go back to sleep.

[ZombieSpeedball]

Their Ultimate Feast is actually pretty damn good. A lobster tail, crab legs, fried shrimp, and shrimp scampi. :drool:

That does sound pretty damn delicious.

[Ryan Elliott]

I live in Tennessee. It's the only place to get good seafood that ISN'T long john silver's or Captain D's.

[costello]

You've noticed the masses eating this average food and acting as if they like it? You've woken from the Matrix, Neo. Go back to sleep.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a small town with an identity crisis--no one was rich, but everyone wanted to appear rich. People flipped out whenever a new chain restaurant opened. They loved that shit. They were being sold a product that provided the illusion of fine dining. Being able to eat lunch at Applebee's meant you were one step higher on the social ladder.

What's your experience?

[costello]

I live in Tennessee. It's the only place to get good seafood that ISN'T long john silver's or Captain D's.

I'm not knocking you, but that's sorta my point. It was the same for me until I moved to New England.

[Criden]

I just want to say I've never been there, but I saw a recipe for the Cheddar Bay biscuits online, and tried it out, modifying it a bit--and they're pretty damn good.

[Magnum V.I.]

It's a pretty good place to go after you smash someones face in.

[Colby]

Yeah, growing up in rural IL, the only other fish I had was catfish frys at the VFW hall-

(Which, actually, was also delicious)

-so RL was a special treat.

Of course, now I've moved to Chicago (Which actually has a lot of other good seafood places) and I lived in Florida for a while, but I still love RL...

[RickLM]

We used to go there a lot in the 70s and 80s, and it seemed like a big deal for our family, like we were living the high life. I don't know if the food and service got worse, or my standards got higher, because it no longer appeals to me at all. Too pricy, and certainly not the best cuisine in the world.

[Blake Sims]

It's an okay place. Too expensive though.

[costello]

We used to go there a lot in the 70s and 80s, and it seemed like a big deal for our family, like we were living the high life. I don't know if the food and service got worse, or my standards got higher, because it no longer appeals to me at all. Too pricy, and certainly not the best cuisine in the world.

Wow. I had never seen a Red Lobster until 1990 on a vacation at Disney World. One never showed up in my home town until 1995.

[ZombieSpeedball]

It's an okay place. Too expensive though.

You're going to have to settle for Mauve Lobster.

[costello]

You're going to have to settle for Mauve Lobster.

You're on fire tonight.

[costello]

We used to go there a lot in the 70s and 80s, and it seemed like a big deal for our family, like we were living the high life. I don't know if the food and service got worse, or my standards got higher, because it no longer appeals to me at all. Too pricy, and certainly not the best cuisine in the world.

The food industry has changed too. When I first worked at Ruby Tuesday, I bet 90% of the food was fresh. Now, 10% if that.

[ZombieSpeedball]

You're on fire tonight.

Am I? I hadn't noticed. :D

[Whip]

Their lunch specials are awesome and cheaper than their standard/dinner prices. plus, the biscuits!

[Patch]

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a small town with an identity crisis--no one was rich, but everyone wanted to appear rich. People flipped out whenever a new chain restaurant opened. They loved that shit. They were being sold a product that provided the illusion of fine dining. Being able to eat lunch at Applebee's meant you were one step higher on the social ladder.

What's your experience?

Grew up in the mid-west and the southwest.
Moving to the southwest in high school introduced me to a lot of foods I had never tried before. Most of them ethnic.
I found I loved new foods. I found the most interesting people I met loved new foods.
And a desire for new foods took me away from the chains pretty fast.

It didn't take long to realize that most ethnic foods are served in individually owned restaurants and that the food (ethnic or not) is a lot better than the chains, or that there are small grocers and markets that offer these foods. It didn't take long, once I cared to notice, that butchers have better cuts of meat than supermarkets.

And it doesn't take much effort to find and try something a little less ordinary. I'm not Anthony Bourdain but some sense of adventure in dining (or reading, listening to music, whatever) makes me happy. About any town with a pop. over 150,000 has some restaurant to offer. I was passing through Terre Haute, Ind. and found a very good German restaurant by thumbing through the yellow pages.

As a whole, eating in chains (or shopping at them) is a soul-sucking drag. It makes me feel a little like cattle. Food and service is repetitious and uninspired.
And life's too short for much of that.

[Magnum V.I.]

I honestly have never eaten at a Red Lobster.

[ZombieSpeedball]

Their lunch specials are awesome and cheaper than their standard/dinner prices. plus, the biscuits!

God, I love biscuits. I also love croissants.

[Blandy vs Terrorism]

In many places (such as the area I grew up) they're the only show in town. So if people want seafood, they go there.

[Magnum V.I.]

Grew up in the mid-west and the southwest.
Moving to the southwest in high school introduced me to a lot of foods I had never tried before. Most of them ethnic.
I found I loved new foods. I found the most interesting people I met loved new foods.
And a desire for new foods took me away from the chains pretty fast.

It didn't take long to realize that most ethnic foods are served in individually owned restaurants and that the food (ethnic or not) is a lot better than the chains, or that there are small grocers and markets that offer these foods. It didn't take long, once I cared to notice, that butchers have better cuts of meat than supermarkets.

And it doesn't take much effort to find and try something a little less ordinary. I'm not Anthony Bourdain but some sense of adventure in dining (or reading, listening to music, whatever) makes me happy. About any town with a pop. over 150,000 has some restaurant to offer. I was passing through Terre Haute, Ind. and found a very good German restaurant by thumbing through the yellow pages.

As a whole, eating in chains (or shopping at them) is a soul-sucking drag. It makes me feel a little like cattle. Food and service is repetitious and uninspired.
And life's too short for much of that.


Working with several Ethiopians at my last job opened me up a lot to Ethiopian food. And it is seriously a very good meal. They would always have 2 or 3 dishes each one of them would bring each weekend and do a sort of pot luck lunch, and they always offered me food. You had to eat it with your hands. They cook the food in teff(sp?) which is an iron based bread with a very sour taste, but you acquire it.

I always looked forward to my weekends at that job.

[Patton]

Not matter what time of day I go, it always tastes like it was made yesterday.

[Patch]

Working with several Ethiopians at my last job opened me up a lot to Ethiopian food. And it is seriously a very good meal. They would always have 2 or 3 dishes each one of them would bring each weekend and do a sort of pot luck lunch, and they always offered me food. You had to eat it with your hands. They cook the food in teff(sp?) which is an iron based bread with a very sour taste, but you acquire it.

I always looked forward to my weekends at that job.

Cool.
I ate at an Ethiopian place a couple of times where they served the bread as a large plate that everyone at the table tore bits from. A variety of dishes were served in the middle of the table right on top of the bread.
It's fun. Like eating at an Indian restaurant with your fingers and a great thing to do with friends.

[NeverWanderer]

Someone explain the appeal of Red Lobster to me.

No. :nonono2:

I cannot tell a lie.

[Blandy vs Terrorism]

It didn't take long to realize that most ethnic foods are served in individually owned restaurants and that the food (ethnic or not) is a lot better than the chains,

Indeed. Even something as simple as steak or a burger is more often than not exponentially better at a place that is individually owned.

For my mom's birthday this year we went to a little steak place in a small town, my first time there, and for once not only was my steak cooked perfectly the way I wanted it (medium rare, usually it's either a little too rare or a little too medium), but the cook came out to ask me himself to make sure he'd done it the way I liked. We'll be going there again many times, if I have any say in it.

[Busman]

Indeed. Even something as simple as steak or a burger is more often than not exponentially better at a place that is individually owned.

For my mom's birthday this year we went to a little steak place in a small town, my first time there, and for once not only was my steak cooked perfectly the way I wanted it (medium rare, usually it's either a little too rare or a little too medium), but the cook came out to ask me himself to make sure he'd done it the way I liked. We'll be going there again many times, if I have any say in it.

Ruth's Chris cooks a damn fine piece of meat.

[AndrewG]

So this week I got in the mail the Star Wars Encyclopedia, the first paid work I've done for Random House and a SW project which was a dream come true and my wife gave birth to our third baby. Yet now I'm depressed because my mind has warped back to my shell shocked days of the ol RL.

RL was my first management job. I worked my way up from busser to server to hourly manager to the 'big times' of salary and worked for them in about 25 different locations in 4 states and 2 countries.

I still don't get the appeal of Red Lobster.

You had some people that came in because they swore that it was the best seafood that you could get anywhere. They're just insane. A lot of people used to come in for specials like Lobsterfest, etc and prices were lower when I first started but not low enough that I would consider them a cheap dining experience. Maybe a cheap alternative to a true seafood restaurant, but not cheap.

And there were a hell of a lot of people who would just come in for the bread. I swear, the baker was the most important position in the restaurant. Long lines and people getting pissed? Pass out bread. Server fucked up and forgot to ring in an order? Give the table two baskets of bread. Baby crying and parents getting pissed? Shove a piece of bread in the baby's mouth.

As a side note, the official policy which never, ever, ever, ever worked was bring one piece of bread for each person and an extra piece for the table. Of course corporate didn't want people filling up on bread. They want them to spend the money on apps, big entrees and desert. So every quarter during budget time the upper mgt would try to reinforce policy by watching over the bread station to make sure servers would only take enough bread for one per guest and an extra for the table. Any server who wanted a good tip and not to have to run around all night usually tripled that amount.

In terms of the seafood itself, the quality was there at least when I worked there. Most of the vendors delivered 2-3 times a week depending on volume and the restaurants usually went with vendors that carried the best quality seafood.

But the food is only as good as the prep cooks and line cooks can make it. When a Scampi 7 calls for an even distribution of 2oz of garlic butter and the prep cooks are in a rush and lather it with say 6oz right in the middle it's not going to work. And when your conveyor oven is supposed to be calibrated so that that Scampi 7 will take an 8 minute pass but it's over or under temp and the cooks nuke the food then put it halfway through the pass it's going to taste like ass.

God, it's late. But I could go on and on....

[FedEx Fanboy]

I only go during their ENDLESS SHRIMP promotion...

Which sadly just ended on Monday.

[FedEx Fanboy]

So this week I got in the mail the Star Wars Encyclopedia, the first paid work I've done for Random House and a SW project which was a dream come true and my wife gave birth to our third baby. Yet now I'm depressed because my mind has warped back to my shell shocked days of the ol RL.

RL was my first management job. I worked my way up from busser to server to hourly manager to the 'big times' of salary and worked for them in about 25 different locations in 4 states and 2 countries.

I still don't get the appeal of Red Lobster.

You had some people that came in because they swore that it was the best seafood that you could get anywhere. They're just insane. A lot of people used to come in for specials like Lobsterfest, etc and prices were lower when I first started but not low enough that I would consider them a cheap dining experience. Maybe a cheap alternative to a true seafood restaurant, but not cheap.

And there were a hell of a lot of people who would just come in for the bread. I swear, the baker was the most important position in the restaurant. Long lines and people getting pissed? Pass out bread. Server fucked up and forgot to ring in an order? Give the table two baskets of bread. Baby crying and parents getting pissed? Shove a piece of bread in the baby's mouth.

As a side note, the official policy which never, ever, ever, ever worked was bring one piece of bread for each person and an extra piece for the table. Of course corporate didn't want people filling up on bread. They want them to spend the money on apps, big entrees and desert. So every quarter during budget time the upper mgt would try to reinforce policy by watching over the bread station to make sure servers would only take enough bread for one per guest and an extra for the table. Any server who wanted a good tip and not to have to run around all night usually tripled that amount.

In terms of the seafood itself, the quality was there at least when I worked there. Most of the vendors delivered 2-3 times a week depending on volume and the restaurants usually went with vendors that carried the best quality seafood.

But the food is only as good as the prep cooks and line cooks can make it. When a Scampi 7 calls for an even distribution of 2oz of garlic butter and the prep cooks are in a rush and lather it with say 6oz right in the middle it's not going to work. And when your conveyor oven is supposed to be calibrated so that that Scampi 7 will take an 8 minute pass but it's over or under temp and the cooks nuke the food then put it halfway through the pass it's going to taste like ass.

God, it's late. But I could go on and on....

Yea, Yea, Yea...

Where's my copy? I've got a red marker all ready to make corrections!!!

[AndrewG]

I only go during their ENDLESS SHRIMP promotion...

Which sadly just ended on Monday.

The trick with endless shrimp is to encourage people to eat the shrimp pasta. It's a bigger portion due to the shrimp and pasta but those factors and the sauce get most people much fuller, faster.

[ASHLEY!]

I fucking hate red lobster. It is disgusting.
My husband actually likes that place and once in a great while he makes me go with him. IT IS SOOO GROSS!

[AndrewG]

Yea, Yea, Yea...

Where's my copy? I've got a red marker all ready to make corrections!!!

Win the trivia contest on Monday.

Or wait till it ships on Dec 9th :)

[AndrewG]

I fucking hate red lobster. It is disgusting.
My husband actually likes that place and once in a great while he makes me go with him. IT IS SOOO GROSS!

The best bet is to go with the salmon. It was always my favorite fish there. Not much work in prep so less chance of someone to fuck it up and it's a hard fish to ruin on the line, too. So even a bad set of cooks will leave you with, at worst, a mediocre dinner. Usually this was their best meal.

[Beep Beep!]

In terms of the seafood itself, the quality was there at least when I worked there. Most of the vendors delivered 2-3 times a week depending on volume and the restaurants usually went with vendors that carried the best quality seafood.
How much was frozen vs. fresh . . . what percentage . . . I am curious.

[AndrewG]

How much was frozen vs. fresh . . . what percentage . . . I am curious.

A lot of it was actually fresh. I'd say 80% of the seafood.

All of the shrimp, except for the popcorn shrimp was fresh. We'd get in the different sizes and we had our own breading for each particular recipe and the prep people would bread the shrimp: butterfly, lemon pepper, beer batter and coconut (which was a bitch to prep).

Like the buttering of the scampi though, you could easily fuck up the taste by using too much or not enough breading, mixing the area you're working in so different breading mixes together. And then if they stored it too long, it would also turn to shit. If you prep 200 coco shrimp for the shift and only sell 150 you need to toss the other 50 or cook em up for the team. Not use em the next day. And if there was a product that could be used on day two, you have to put it first and rotate, not put the new stuff in front of the old.

Almost all of the fish came in fresh: tilapia, salmon, mahi and catfish. I think flounder went to frozen for some reason and it's possible that they've started going more frozen for cost reasons since I left.

Usually the apps like lobster poppers, calamari, etc would come in frozen, but the main stuff: lobster, shrimp and fish were pretty much 80% fresh.

In my experience, the failure was in the execution, not in the quality of the product

[Beep Beep!]

A lot of it was actually fresh. I'd say 80% of the seafood.

All of the shrimp, except for the popcorn shrimp was fresh. We'd get in the different sizes and we had our own breading for each particular recipe and the prep people would bread the shrimp: butterfly, lemon pepper, beer batter and coconut (which was a bitch to prep).

Like the buttering of the scampi though, you could easily fuck up the taste by using too much or not enough breading, mixing the area you're working in so different breading mixes together. And then if they stored it too long, it would also turn to shit. If you prep 200 coco shrimp for the shift and only sell 150 you need to toss the other 50 or cook em up for the team. Not use em the next day. And if there was a product that could be used on day two, you have to put it first and rotate, not put the new stuff in front of the old.

Almost all of the fish came in fresh: tilapia, salmon, mahi and catfish. I think flounder went to frozen for some reason and it's possible that they've started going more frozen for cost reasons since I left.

Usually the apps like lobster poppers, calamari, etc would come in frozen, but the main stuff: lobster, shrimp and fish were pretty much 80% fresh.

In my experience, the failure was in the execution, not in the quality of the productWow; I expected it all to be frozen.

I've eaten at Red Lobster once ever. There are so many good restaurants in Las Vegas that you can get lobster almost anywhere; and pay about the same prices that Red Lobster charges. I have no idea how they stay in business.

[chess]

I agree...

Red Lobster is expensive.
Red Lobster's food is "blah". ...Not good. Not bad. Just... Well, just food.

When I go to Red Lobster, I usually get the soup and salad now. I like their chowder and salad combo.

If I am not mistaken, Red Lobster owns Olive Garden. I get the same feeling. It seems like expensive fast food to me.

[H�rst_de_W�rst]

My wife craves Red Lobster and we live in New England, 30 minutes from the ocean.

I don't get it either. Maybe it's the visual appeal the commercials have? The dinners look great on tv, but Red Lobster is really only upscale fast-seafood. Maybe some of the people who eat the stuff never eat fresh seafood?


Where in New England? Maine has some great seafood places. In Bath and Bangor Maine are some really good ones.

My mom used to take us there as kids and then we started vacationing in Maine that was the end of Red Lobster for us. You don't go back to eating chuck steak after you have tasted filet mignon. You know what I am saying?

[changingshades]

my mom has worked there for 25+ years, and I can honestly say, I have no fucking clue

[CougarTrace]

I love fish. I love shrimp, crab, lobster --- love seafood, so that's not the problem with me. But I go to Red Lobster and it all tastes flat to me. Even their fresh menu. Not terrible, just not . . . good. I had scallops the other day there, and no taste. None. I've been to a couple Red Lobsters in different areas, so it's not a locational thing. I rarely go, but everyone once in awhile the wife brings it up and we go and the food is exactly the same. It doesn't taste like good seafood. To me, they're just not good at what they do. Sometimes I think it's because seafood should be fresh and it has to do with shipping, but I've gone to Red Lobster's in Florida, and I've had good fish at places thousands of miles from the ocean. But here's the thing, they've been around forever, they're always crowded, and most of all -- THEY'RE EXPENSIVE. For franchises, they're in the upper tier of pricing. Yet people go and go and go, -- and I don't get it. It's one of life's great mysteries to me. Someone explain their popularity if they like it.

I don't get it either. Just one of the worst chain restaurants around in my opinion

[WinterRose]

Last time I went was on my birthday back in September when my pal CableFlame took me. I had some kind of shrimp sampler plate that had this really neat coconut and Pina Colada sauce. And it was good. But in the end, it was still a chain restaurant experience. And the food was pretty much what you'd expect from a chain.

The last good seafood places I went to were Lineburgers Fish Fry in Gastonia, SC and Ivar's On the Pier in Seattle. I really don't have enough good seafood. I miss it a lot lately. *shrug*

[Ziolko]

I prefer real Seafood restaurants as well, but Red Lobster isn't so bad. I never leave hungry, that's for sure.

[schizorabbit]

You've noticed the masses eating this average food and acting as if they like it? You've woken from the Matrix, Neo. Go back to sleep.

:rofl:

Thanks for my first morning out loud laugh.

[FedEx Fanboy]

The trick with endless shrimp is to encourage people to eat the shrimp pasta. It's a bigger portion due to the shrimp and pasta but those factors and the sauce get most people much fuller, faster.

Hey, you're talking to a seasoned vet here. I'm all about maximizing my shrimp per/dollar intake. Especially since the price seems to go up every year.

Rules of the game:

Drink only water. 2 Cheddar Biscuits MAXIMUM. No other sides. Always eat the Shrimp Pasta last!!!

[Ziolko]

This thread reminds me of the episode of Law and Order where the detective promised that he would reunite a couple of kids with their mom, but when he finds out that she's o.d'ed he changes his big surprise: "I'm taking you guys to Red Lobster!"

Executive Producer Dick Wolf

[AndrewG]

Hey, you're talking to a seasoned vet here. I'm all about maximizing my shrimp per/dollar intake. Especially since the price seems to go up every year.

Rules of the game:

Drink only water. 2 Cheddar Biscuits MAXIMUM. No other sides. Always eat the Shrimp Pasta last!!!

Ah, you would be my restaurant nemesis haha.

Last time I worked there the all you can eat shrimp included regular fried, coconut popper, popcorn, and shrimp pasta. If the servers couldn't convince people to fall for the pasta trick then they'd suggest the coco ones. A lot of people figured the coco shrimp was the same as the regular but these were bite sized pieces of crap with a hint of coconut flavor so they would switch to plan B and suggest that one. Usually one taste of that was enough to get people to move on to dessert.

And again with that promotion it was all about who was working in the kitchen. I loved when I would walk into a dinner shift and find out no one did any shrimp prep for the evening and we were in the middle of a special. Nothing better than trying to tell your servers and guests why we're running 45 minutes to get out the food that's on special.

[RebootedCorpse]

My mom used to love that place. I'd get the lobster pizza which isn't bad and chow on the cheese/garlic biscuits.

[charlie]

Red Lobster is a place I will never go again. Terrible food, a fishy smell as soon as you get into the parking lot, poor service, and made me sick the last couple of times I went. Life is too short for bad food.

[ManOfMiracles]

cheese/garlic biscuits and the crab and cheese stuffed mushrooms.

[Taxman]

I don't get it either. Just one of the worst chain restaurants around in my opinionDo they have Lone Star in Houston, Trace?

[AndrewG]

Red Lobster is a place I will never go again. Terrible food, a fishy smell as soon as you get into the parking lot, poor service, and made me sick the last couple of times I went. Life is too short for bad food.

Imagine how you smell after working a 12 hour shift there. The smell of butter, garlic and seafood just soaking into your skin and clothes. Ugh.

[ClintP]

I used to like the fried seafood platter, but it isn't that great for the price anymore. I do like the biscuits though. I think I need to find that recipe and just make it at home.

For the money, Captain D's is way better than Red Lobster for what I like. :lol:

[Rosemary's Baby]

Grew up in the mid-west and the southwest.
Moving to the southwest in high school introduced me to a lot of foods I had never tried before. Most of them ethnic.
I found I loved new foods. I found the most interesting people I met loved new foods.
And a desire for new foods took me away from the chains pretty fast.

It didn't take long to realize that most ethnic foods are served in individually owned restaurants and that the food (ethnic or not) is a lot better than the chains, or that there are small grocers and markets that offer these foods. It didn't take long, once I cared to notice, that butchers have better cuts of meat than supermarkets.

And it doesn't take much effort to find and try something a little less ordinary. I'm not Anthony Bourdain but some sense of adventure in dining (or reading, listening to music, whatever) makes me happy. About any town with a pop. over 150,000 has some restaurant to offer. I was passing through Terre Haute, Ind. and found a very good German restaurant by thumbing through the yellow pages.

As a whole, eating in chains (or shopping at them) is a soul-sucking drag. It makes me feel a little like cattle. Food and service is repetitious and uninspired.
And life's too short for much of that.

Well said.

Moving to Seattle from rural, western Pennsylvania was an eye-opening experience. No longer was I forced to choose between chain restaurant A and chain restaurant B for a "decent" meal. Where I grew up, we had a good Italian place, but that was about it. It's been there forever.

Living in a city with just about every food imaginable is an extremely satisfying experience. I was 23 years old and never had Vietnamese food because the backwater, podunk, town I grew up in is scared of new or different. Now, I can head to Little Saigon and have at it.

Now when I see a chain restaurant, I get a little bit revolted, which makes me sound snobbish and this isn't an entirely incorrect label at this point, but fuck it; I'd rather spend an extra 20 bucks at Ray's (best fish I've had) than settle for less at Red Lobster, which was considered a good meal when I was young.

[NATE!]

Every waitress I've ever known to work there was also an unrepentant slut. Points in Red Lobster's favor for that.

[ClintP]

I am in the no chain gang as well. When I was a consultant and traveled each week, I would always ask the locals what was good around and not a chain. The best foods are in local owned places.

[AndrewG]

Every waitress I've ever known to work there was also an unrepentant slut. Points in Red Lobster's favor for that.

Restaraunts in general, especially chains, are havens for sexual insanity

[Criden]

Last time I went was on my birthday back in September when my pal CableFlame took me. I had some kind of shrimp sampler plate that had this really neat coconut and Pina Colada sauce. And it was good. But in the end, it was still a chain restaurant experience. And the food was pretty much what you'd expect from a chain.

The last good seafood places I went to were Lineburgers Fish Fry in Gastonia, SC and Ivar's On the Pier in Seattle. I really don't have enough good seafood. I miss it a lot lately. *shrug*

Dude! You're in a great location for fish--especially being so close to Baltimore.

[Criden]

Restaraunts in general, especially chains, are havens for sexual insanity

What about The Haven? Is he for sexual insanity, as well? :mistrust:

[AndrewG]

Now when I see a chain restaurant, I get a little bit revolted, which makes me sound snobbish and this isn't an entirely incorrect label at this point, but fuck it; I'd rather spend an extra 20 bucks at Ray's (best fish I've had) than settle for less at Red Lobster, which was considered a good meal when I was young.

Are you talking about Ray's Boathouse? I've been to Seattle twice and I've only eaten there. Love that restaurant.

[ClintP]

Anyone near New Hampshire? I suggest you get to Newick's ASAP! That was some bad ass fish. I want to go on vacation there JUST to eat that fish again. :(

http://www.newicks.com/

[AndrewG]

What about The Haven? Is he for sexual insanity, as well? :mistrust:

My wife never believed the stories I told until she started working in a chain restaurant and saw the same shit.

My first day on the job as mgr at another chain I saw the team working furiously on some project at a table by the kitchen. When they were done, they proudly came up to me and showed me what they made: a family tree style project with all of the people in the restaurant who have slept with each other and how they connected. I've done some crazy stuff, I've seen a lot of crazy stuff, and I've heard a lot of crazy stuff but that was just mindblowing.

On one of my last days at that location one of the male cooks and female waitresses were talking about since he just had sex with a new server that put his number of 'restaurant conquests' at 29 which tied her for the lead so she said, 'I'm just going to have to fuck the trainee tonight'. The kid was delighted until I pointed out that he'd be #30 of this gal's restaurant fucks in just under the space of a year.

[Marcdachamp]

It's the Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

It's a big part. They're amazing.

Love their popcorn shrimp, though.

[Patch]

Well said.

Moving to Seattle from rural, western Pennsylvania was an eye-opening experience. No longer was I forced to choose between chain restaurant A and chain restaurant B for a "decent" meal. Where I grew up, we had a good Italian place, but that was about it. It's been there forever.

Living in a city with just about every food imaginable is an extremely satisfying experience. I was 23 years old and never had Vietnamese food because the backwater, podunk, town I grew up in is scared of new or different. Now, I can head to Little Saigon and have at it.

Now when I see a chain restaurant, I get a little bit revolted, which makes me sound snobbish and this isn't an entirely incorrect label at this point, but fuck it; I'd rather spend an extra 20 bucks at Ray's (best fish I've had) than settle for less at Red Lobster, which was considered a good meal when I was young.



Seattle has great restaurants! I'm envious.

[Rosemary's Baby]

Are you talking about Ray's Boathouse? I've been to Seattle twice and I've only eaten there. Love that restaurant.

Yes, I am. Great, great seafood. Hell of a location, too. I live about two miles away from it.

[AndrewG]

Yes, I am. Great, great seafood. Hell of a location, too. I live about two miles away from it.

When I first met my (eventual) wife there she told me we had to go eat at this great seafood restaurant. We went there the first night and except for home cooked meals it was the only place I ever wanted to eat. I love that place. A strong incentive for taking the trip out to see the family is that I could go eat there again.

[Rosemary's Baby]

When I first met my (eventual) wife there she told me we had to go eat at this great seafood restaurant. We went there the first night and except for home cooked meals it was the only place I ever wanted to eat. I love that place. A strong incentive for taking the trip out to see the family is that I could go eat there again.

I can give you a list of good places to eat if you come back out this way.

[Criden]

My wife never believed the stories I told until she started working in a chain restaurant and saw the same shit.

My first day on the job as mgr at another chain I saw the team working furiously on some project at a table by the kitchen. When they were done, they proudly came up to me and showed me what they made: a family tree style project with all of the people in the restaurant who have slept with each other and how they connected. I've done some crazy stuff, I've seen a lot of crazy stuff, and I've heard a lot of crazy stuff but that was just mindblowing.

On one of my last days at that location one of the male cooks and female waitresses were talking about since he just had sex with a new server that put his number of 'restaurant conquests' at 29 which tied her for the lead so she said, 'I'm just going to have to fuck the trainee tonight'. The kid was delighted until I pointed out that he'd be #30 of this gal's restaurant fucks in just under the space of a year.

No no, I remember your stories, and I've worked in a restaurant before, for a decent while, so I have similar ones. I was just making a pun about your name. :)

(BTW, loved White Death, thanks again! :D)

[James Patrick]

yikes. i wish i could get this many people to look at threads about my books!

yeah, I get that people shouldn't go to franchises for great food, but I was just trying to get some insight into why so many people go to this particular franchise when the cost to quality formula for it doesn't add up.

And thanks for all the insight, Andrew. Good stuff!

[AndrewG]

yikes. i wish i could get this many people to look at threads about my books!

yeah, I get that people shouldn't go to franchises for great food, but I was just trying to get some insight into why so many people go to this particular franchise when the cost to quality formula for it doesn't add up.

And thanks for all the insight, Andrew. Good stuff!

Yeah I think I went way off topic in my Vietnam style flashback of my tours in the restaurant industry.

As for why the place is so popular if I remember correctly one big reason I think was name recognition. I remember when I was at headquarters they said something at the time about how Darden (parent company) employees more people in FLA than anyone else besides Disney and that the RL brand recognition was 3rd next to Coke and McDonalds...or very high up. So a lot of people go just...because.

And I do know that for years they were very strategic in where they placed new locations. They never wanted to move into New England because they never felt they could be taken seriously so close to 'real' seafood restaurants (though I think they have invaded NE since). So they would target more urban areas where there were a lot of american style cuisine and go and market themselves as a way to offer quality seafood to the masses for an affordable price (at least less expensive than fine dining restaurants....even though they tried to market themselves as fine dining too)

[ClintP]

yikes. i wish i could get this many people to look at threads about my books!

yeah, I get that people shouldn't go to franchises for great food, but I was just trying to get some insight into why so many people go to this particular franchise when the cost to quality formula for it doesn't add up.

And thanks for all the insight, Andrew. Good stuff!

I think in areas where fish is not readily availible and fresh, people would go to them as a "safe" place to eat. Some fish places can be hit or miss when you live inland.

[James Patrick]

I think in areas where fish is not readily availible and fresh, people would go to them as a "safe" place to eat. Some fish places can be hit or miss when you live inland.

that's why when i was in florida i was astonished at how many people were eating there -- that they exhisted at all

[Albert]

Cheddar Bay Biscuits = SO GOOD

[NATE!]

Restaraunts in general, especially chains, are havens for sexual insanity

I remember hitting on a girl one night who was a server at one of the nicer restaurants here in town. We were talking and one of her coworkers came up in the conversation and she just casually mentioned how he and another server double teamed her on one of the tables the week before.....


....which brought the conversation to a grinding halt.

(Not because she had sex with two guys, mind you, but because I knew the scumbag she let penetrate her.)

Never ate there again. Couldn't get the image out of my head whenever I drove past the place. :-?

[majorjoe23]

I like their biscuits, that's about it.

[schizorabbit]

Red Lobster Smash!!!!!!!!!

[CWebb]

Cheddar Bay Biscuits = SO GOOD
I've been to Red Lobster just for those. I could live off them