I'm looking to try for the first time but not interested in many of the plated options aside from a salmon. My parner knows exactly what he wants to get. I was looking to get a variety of sides like the lobster pasta, broccoli and sprouts with and a baked potato since those sound so good. Am I able to just come and order sides from the menu or do I need to get a plate option? I love salmon also but idk I just feel like so many of the sides sound amazing. I also see no lobster mac which I hear great things about, is the lobster pasta au gratin just the same thing rebranded? Would love to know if I can just order sides and have them come out with his plate? Or is that just rude?

Working at Red Lobster was my first real job. I was hired at 17 in 2005, at SC’s busiest location (Cayce, SC). I bussed tables and when I turned 18, I was transitioned to serving. I worked there for about 10 months before moving on to another local restaurant while going to college. I also frequently would fill in for called-out workers in the dish pit as needed. I have a lot of memories from that time in my life, but the thing that most frequently comes back up for me is the Muzak songs. I swear, there were only 10-12 songs in a constant rotation. Any time I hear one of those songs today, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I automatically exclaim out loud, “this was one of the Red Lobster Muzak tracks.” It’s been 21 years now and I decided to compile a list, and wondered if anyone else worked there during that time and could add to it.

Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows,
Get down on it - Kool and the Gang,
Jackie Wilson Said - Van Morrison,
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder,
The tide is high by Blondie,
Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs

Does this awaken any deep-seated memories for anyone else? 🤣

I have a bay leaf allergy. I told my server. I asked for plain salmon cooked in an allergy pan and plain broccoli. My server came out with my meal and told, "You're in luck, the cook says we don't use bay leaves."

Old Bay seasoning is featured on the menu. Shockingly Old Bay gets its name from the finely ground bay leaves. Bay leaves are also frequently in sauces, marinades, and stock/base. Anything containing spices or flavor is suspect.

If someone comes to a restaurant, says they have an allergy and requests the plainest food available cooked in an allergy pan just do it. They know their allergy.

Update - I contacted the manufacturer and they confirmed Old Bay seasoning is "formulated to contain bay leaves".

i work at a red lobster and my boss just told me im getting a red card and she needs to take my picture for it. Ive only been here for a short while what exactly is a red card 😓

I had the most amazing potatoes on my crab leg plate a few days ago. I did the crab your own way with the old bay and butter sauce. I asked the waiter to leave off the potatoes cos I never eat them- he insisted I keep them.

They were the most amazing potatoes I think I've ever had. I'd like to make them for a BBQ this weekend. Is there a recipe for these somewhere? I'm sure it would be easy enough to just roast some potatoes with butter and old bay but they got the temp and crispiness and amount of sauce absolutely perfect.

Is this exact recipe available somewhere?

As a former Red Lobster employee, and had family who also worked there for decades, to see how Red Lobster has become pisses me off, and I blame Darden entirely, they also need to rename their company.

Bill Darden was a great guy who only had one dream; and he created Red Lobster from that. That was his ONLY baby. Olive Garden is some abomination created by General Mills in the 80s, and the menu was designed by Red Lobster chefs.

Darden as a company doesn't deserve the name Darden because his only restaurant is gone. They decided to abandon it in 2014 for no reason and sold it to a bunch of mornonic asswipes, who sold all the land to themselves so they can make leases on land that had 0 leases. General Mills bought all that property in the 70s and 80s for literally nothing.

Why wasn't Olive Garden sold off? I think Olive Garden would have done better on it's own, and then they should have kept Red Lobster as part of Darden and really work on it. After all, Olive Garden is just pasta, and you can get better pasta at local Italian places. Red Lobster is unique, there isn't really seafood places everywhere.

It seems the only profitable part of Red Lobster now is the 27 locations in Canada that actually make profit. Other than that, the US is seeing tons of restaurant closures and lots of declining sales and guest counts.

Olive Garden isn't even that good, isn't it microwaved pasta and sauce??

Is my store the only one that's pathetically dead? I'm in a big city in Ohio and lately it's not even worth it tbh! I'm guessing my location is closed by next year and so many vets are also leaving sadly. To make it even better we are keeping Endless Shrimp as our Monday lunch special lol and I work lunch! I used to easily clear 200 in 4 hours and today I was there 5 or 5 1/2 and walked with 71 after a 9.00 tip out. I only made that cause I'm a good server and pull good tips on my few tables

Did I like do red lobster wrong? Is there a red lobster code of conduct? My partner and I (both 20yr old men) went for endless shrimp and the staff was like openly hostile. We wore normal everyday clothes, we didn’t like make out over the shrimp or have like a crazy loud conversation, it wasn’t super busy when we went or anything. We had a modest amount of shrimp (only two rounds). After the second round the server asked if we wanted more and I said ‘no thanks we’re all full’ and she goes ‘yeah I bet, I think you’ve had plenty’. ??? I literally only had the first round with the three dishes and a side and one other dish for my second round.

I get endless shrimp is annoying af for the staff but we ordered a really reasonable amount and were super polite. The vibes were so wack the entire time. I’ve literally never been shamed for eating at a restaurant before- Did we mess something up? Is she part shrimp? Did we eat her shrimp friends?

I haven’t been to Red Lobster since they change their shrimp 🦐. Years ago, I am thinking of going here instead of Angry Crab for the boil.

Any opinions on this?

*Boil

****update*****
We got there, expecting the $121 boil meal and the Manager gave it to us even though it was a take out deal only. (Since it’s Father’s Day) it was easy 9.5 there were some small issues but we worked through them. The meal was more I mean more than I expected. Food all of it was cooked and seasoned perfect.

I will be back.

I'm visiting Red Lobster on the weekend and want to order the Seaside Shrimp Trio. Can I ask for it to be without parsley?

My friends want to go to Red Lobster for Endless Shrimp, but I don't like shrimp and was planning to just order something else from the regular menu. I just wanna hang out.

There is a worry that because I'm not ordering Endless Shrimp, I'll have to sit at another table. This might be a really stupid question and I plan on calling ahead just in case, but has anyone been in a group where some people got endless shrimp and others ordered regular menu items? Did the restaurant care at all, or am I overthinking this?

Thank you lol

I’m meeting my mother for lunch tomorrow at Red Lobster and I’m bringing my daughter with me to have the endless shrimp. I’m wondering if she can share with me? She doesn’t eat much at all at restaurants, and I’m curious how I would be charged for that. If you know, please let me know! Also, what sides are included? And I’m wanting to try their spicy butter sauce, so I’m thinking of ordering a side of that as well, I’m sure it’ll be extra but I have to try it.

Opened my order and these don’t look like the usual popcorn shrimp. I went back to the menu to double check i ordered the right thing, and i did. Even on the menu picture they look like this now. When did they change them? They’re kinda boring now :(

Got an interview at Red Lobster for the Hostess position, what are some questions i can potentially expect going into my interview?

I thought the endless shrimp came with a free side?

Edit: I didn’t notice the endless shrimp came with a free side till half way into my sitting. Waiter made no mention of this just pushed appetizers. I then asked the waiter and she said I already used it by getting the lobster. Later came with bill and charged me for it. Asked her again and she told me it was premium side and I have to pay for it which was the exact opposite of what she said earlier. So never even got the free side advertised. Based on these comments I can see the service industry is just condescending. I have no problem getting up from my table and getting my own food and drinks. Unfortunately every restaurant has a middle man to the food I payed for.

Plan on going to watch the game and just CONSUME endless shrimp like an absolute gluttonous fuck.

Real disgusting shit.

Is a $15-20 tip still a waste of my server's time? I'm here to make Red Lobster more bankrupt but not piss off my server.

Update: Hammered down 50 with margaritas and went home feeling like absolute shit... 2 hours later, didn't change and puked. Probably 20+ shrimp came out in chunks... yeah, never again lol

The one nearest me has been there since the 70s. It was my family's Christmas Eve tradition for about 45 years. We still go for my mom even though it had noticeably gone down hill. This past Christmas Eve it was clear this would probably be the last time. They weren't investing in the place at all. They were out of lettuce and had no carbonated drinks because the guns or something weren't working. As someone that used to be in the business I know that can be serviced 24/7/365 because as a bar or restaurant you simply have to have it. To not get it fixed spoke volumes. And a restaurant out of lettuce? One of the few things from my childhood still around is now gone.

We only see him once every 6 months at most. He only appears on talk shows. He has never addressed anyone in the company directly. He has never been on any teams meeting or group. He has never emailed anyone. He's never even done a damn thing for our company from what we can tell.

Honestly. Is he even real? If he is, what is he doing? How is he helping change our business to something relevant in 2026? One or two talk show appearances every year? We don't need a ceo for that.

I think it's a scam.

I just started as a server, yesterday - so far, I am not confident.

I was hired as a server with NO experience (mind you, I applied for bartending after finishing bartending school) and I just don’t feel good about this.

The training has NO structure. What I learned from online training vs. what the actual servers do/say is very very different.

Also - the employees are NOT nice. At all.

Any advice? I need this job desperately, at least for a few months. How do I survive?!?!?!

UPDATED EDIT: hi everyone! Thank you all for your input. After today, literally my 3rd day, I realized this place is just not it for me. I want to HIGHLY praise the server I worked with today; she knows what she’s doing and even recognizes how tough the job is.

For my mental health and anxiety, it is NOT worth the stress. I will be talking to the manager this weekend to resign.

Thank you all for your words!

Hi all,

I am a Coast Guard veteran. I was wondering if Red Lobster had any deals and/or events for veterans like me. If not, what would you recommend to me for my Memorial Day luncheon at Red Lobster?

Was in Tallahassee this week and stopped in at the Red Lobster and was told that Sunday May 24th, will be their last day. The waitress said the company could not find another franchisee to partner with them on the location. They say the Tallahassee location is/was Red Lobster's oldest continuously-operating location in the country

I found this article tonight:

After 56 years, Red Lobster to shut down longtime Tallahassee location

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/entertainment/restaurants/2026/05/18/tallahassee-landmark-red-lobster-drops-unexpected-news/90144977007/