Should Have Known Better
Grace spent the night last night. She asked if we could go out to dinner at Red Lobster. Grace just loves shrimp and sees the ads on TV with the RL plates loaded with the stuff. She just has to go.
Last meal I had at the RL was shit. That was a couple of years ago. I should have known that shit doesn't turn to roses overnight and brought shrimp from the market to eat at home.
We both order off of RL's wood fired menu: Sirloin steak with skewered shrimp. Popcorn shrimp was the only shrimp on the kid's menu (and Grace doesn't like popcorn shrimp) so we planned on sharing our meal with Grace.
Server: Would you like baked or mashed potatoes with your meal?
We both choose baked with condiments on the side.
Salads arrive. Mine has obviously sat in it's bowl in the refrigerator complete with dressing for quite some time as the dressing was had sunk to the bottom of the bowl and the lettuce was sticking to the bottom. This should have been an omen. Even Olive Garden provides a fresh bowl of greens and tosses it at the table.
Main course arrives. Steak. Check. Shrimp on skewers. Check. Baked potato with condiments on the side. Check. Mashed potatoes, too?! And no vegetable?! This makes no sense.
The steak is over seasoned. Big time. A lot of spice and too much pepper. The skin of the baked potato has been coated in salt and oil and is inedible. I summon the wait person.
Me: There's no vegetable with either of our meals.
Server: Doesn't come with vegetables.
Me: You're kidding. In an age where obesity is rampant and this is RL's contribution to stop it by serving no vegetables and two starches?
Server: That's how it comes.
Me: And we asked for baked potato which is here but both plates have mashed on them. Why?
Server: The wood fired meals come with mashed potatoes.
Me: So why did you ask if we wanted mashed or baked?
Blank stare from the server. She's obviously tired of Bob's questioning.
The bill comes. We complain again in regards to the meal and the over seasoning of the steaks.
Server: It's new seasoning and that's how it comes.
You'd think at least one meal would have been comped. Nope. $54 bucks to eat shit. I should have known better than to come back to a place where it was nearly guaranteed we'd have a terrible experience. Eating at RL is just awful.
We leave and drive home. I get on the Internet and write to RL regarding our experience via their website. It probably won't do any good to complain 'cause it didn't do any good last night. I expect nothing nor do I want it. With the good that they serve how RL stays in business is beyond me. I've definitely had my last meal there.
Consider yourself warned.
4 comments:
You know Bob? Come to think of it, I have never had a good experience at RL myself. This confirms it. I really don't plan on being back there any time soon if at all.....
For me I don't have to worry, I'm not a seafood eater.
I just hate paying for a meal and service that is crappy. We every now and then eat at a chain like this and seemed to be disappointed every time. I've come to the conclusion.....1 We are stupid to go......2 people that frequent these places don't know any better. They don't know the difference. 3 the average size of those people is usually huge.
Joker: Right on, bro.
Laroo: There were mostly gray heads dining last night which I guess proves (1) Their taste buds have gone to hell and (2) the only ones with money to eat out. There were also two middle age chicks trying to pick up guys in the bar but finding no takers. Grace had a fit when I told her that I had given her dad's cell phone number to them and that they'll be calling him for a date. I love teasing.
Never eaten at Red Lobster, and never would even consider it. I've always avoided corporate chain restaurants as much as possible as it's nearly guaranteed to suck.
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