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Red Lobster endless shrimp $20! Yay or nay?


marylander1940

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I’ve only eaten in a Red Lobster once and it was a memorable experience. January 1999 and I had just arrived in Miami to spend two months. That first night I went to a Red Lobster near to where I was staying. When I left I forget my handbag on the banquette seat beside me. 
When I got home I realized what I had done and rushed back with thoughts my vacation was ruined as I had $4000 in American Express travellers checks and my credit cards and passport in it. 
The restaurant wasn’t busy though and when I walked in and asked the staff about it they went to retrieve it and gave it to me. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened it but everything was there. 
It was a great first impression of Miami and I spent the next five winters there in the same house I rented the following year. 
I didn’t like the food though and never went back to that Red Lobster. 

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Haha. In Europe upper class men of fashion carry male handbags or at least did in the 1980s. Made of fine leather, in Italy or England usually. They are about 4 by 6 inches and folded in two. You can put them under your arm. I got in the habit when I lived in Switzerland. Of course I just happened to be gay but most of the men I knew who had one were straight. 

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6 minutes ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

I can accept a great many things, but eating at Red Lobster isn't one of them.

I agree. That time in Miami, I didn’t find the shrimp I had good at all. Swimming in oil or butter and limp pasta. I never went to another. 

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8 hours ago, Luv2play said:

I’ve only eaten in a Red Lobster once and it was a memorable experience. January 1999 and I had just arrived in Miami to spend two months. That first night I went to a Red Lobster near to where I was staying. When I left I forget my handbag on the banquette seat beside me. 
When I got home I realized what I had done and rushed back with thoughts my vacation was ruined as I had $4000 in American Express travellers checks and my credit cards and passport in it. 
The restaurant wasn’t busy though and when I walked in and asked the staff about it they went to retrieve it and gave it to me. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened it but everything was there. 
It was a great first impression of Miami and I spent the next five winters there in the same house I rented the following year. 
I didn’t like the food though and never went back to that Red Lobster. 

Much more than the men's handbag I had a jump in the past thinking at when from Italy in order to travel abroad the smartest thing in the 80s and 90s was to buy travellers cheques...

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8 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Haha. In Europe upper class men of fashion carry male handbags or at least did in the 1980s. Made of fine leather, in Italy or England usually. They are about 4 by 6 inches and folded in two. You can put them under your arm. I got in the habit when I lived in Switzerland. Of course I just happened to be gay but most of the men I knew who had one were straight. 

Bozo is not a big fan of Red Lobster, but eats there when he has a coupon.
Bozo much prefers Bonefish Grill. It's a little more upscale, but the food is much fresher and tastier than Red Lobster. And the Boom Boom shrimp is amazing.
When he was a little clown, Bozo used to love eating at Arthur Treacher's. That seafood combo platter for $4.95 was truly memorable. Bozo would get 3 or 4 tartar sauce packets and drown the seafood in tartar sauce...  yummy :)

BTC

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Many of the Red Lobster restaurants in my region closed about 20 years ago... probably two-thirds.  None remain nearby.   Last time I ate at Red Lobster was 2013, about an hour away.

My initial reaction is that I can buy more shrimp than I can eat in a sitting for $20.  But then I remember the biscuits.  If there was a Red Lobster near me, I'd be trying the Shrimp feast, but probably filling up on biscuits.

And, the box mix doesn't compare - I tried.

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Red Lobster tried opening in my area (Southeastern New England) about thirty years ago, with three restaurants. They obviously didn't do their research correctly, as we have enough seafood restaurants in a variety of price points all over the state - all locally caught, fresh fish. Who would want to go to RL and get a freezer-to-fryolator dinner ?  Within a few years, they all closed. 

Olive Garden also tried moving into our state as well as Spaghetti Warehouse. Again, aside from seafood, our other #1 cusine is Italian - being a heavily Italian state. We have a plethora of Italian restaurants in every price point on every corner. I believe there's only one OG left - near a college campus. The Spaghetti Warehouse closed in less than a year. 

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A17C1C5E-286D-405F-964F-FA233B8F1A0A.thumb.jpeg.ba73918a2de1acc4f2d9235829985028.jpeg

Self professed fan of red lobster 🦞 here 👍🏾 lol. I’m already platinum this year, though I think it’s more year to date.

I know some don’t like it but, I will say: not all locations are the same and it depends what you get. I’ve been to red lobster everywhere from the east to west coast. Some have been great, others: like in areas that aren’t really prime on tourism, or the people don’t seem to be into sea/lake food: aren’t. 

There’s also a $20 snow crab platter that I found to actually be quite good. Went with some friends up north over the holidays. Pound of crab legs over potatos. Also there’s a few items on the “classic” menu including rainbow trout that are very delectable.
 

Now as someone from Florida who has lived close to many a seafood restaurant: I understand it’s not the Ocean Prime or Oceanaire. But, unfortunately unless it’s restaurant week…it’s not something I can always make room for my wallet. I’ve also gone to Landrys, McCormicks, Pappadeux and legal seafood, all great places. But when you want a broad menu of seafood in the Midwest under $35, red lobster just hits the spot. Just like Pizza Hut, Fast food, and Starbucks does for some.

Last red lobster I’ve went to last week: The place was packed full of people. This is despite one location in town having closed. So you wouldn’t think people in the Midwest liked seafood so much. However, I’m not so much a fan of busy times at restaurants and will actively avoid those periods of 6-8 a.m. I used to work at Shells seafood in Tampa years ago…it gets hectic.

 

Edited by Jarrod_Uncut
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1 hour ago, Jarrod_Uncut said:

A17C1C5E-286D-405F-964F-FA233B8F1A0A.thumb.jpeg.ba73918a2de1acc4f2d9235829985028.jpeg

 

I have so many questions.  

Is there a Red Lobster crustacean lounge somewhere for you high elites?

Are you invited to see them catch, process and freeze their stone crab?

During the Darden days, would you look down on Olive Garden diners who didn't have an elite program?

Do you get the least-sad looking live lobster in the tank?

I kid, I kid.  

But seriously, Midwesterners love seafood, but often have spotty access to it which is why RL does well in middle America.  It's not great fish, but it's often times all a city/town has. 

RL was very, very savvy in where they built their locations.

 

 

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4 hours ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

 

I have so many questions.  

Is there a Red Lobster crustacean lounge somewhere for you high elites?

Are you invited to see them catch, process and freeze their stone crab?

During the Darden days, would you look down on Olive Garden diners who didn't have an elite program?

Do you get the least-sad looking live lobster in the tank?

I kid, I kid.  

But seriously, Midwesterners love seafood, but often have spotty access to it which is why RL does well in middle America.  It's not great fish, but it's often times all a city/town has. 

RL was very, very savvy in where they built their locations.

 

 

Craziest place I went to a RL was Bismarck, ND. It was also packed lol. I almost didn’t think it would be real anything but, pretty much all seafood no matter where you go, is frozen to a degree. I know there’s some places that fly theirs in fresh, but that may only be certain items and like once a week.
 

I know for sure lobster and crab always has to either be immediately frozen or immediately boiled, and they usually come from Maine, The Gulf/Keys or Alaska anyway. Wisconsin has some local owned places that specialize in Walleye, but even that is frozen at some point. 
 

As for the elite status lol, it’s not necessarily out of this world but…I been getting a lot of free appetizers and desserts and it takes less time to get it. 
 

The other grab about RL is their margaritas and drink promos. A nice glass of Chardonnay for $5 isn’t bad, but I got hit with $19 for a glass of Kendall Jackson at one seafood place. I was 😳 that’s MORE than the cost of the actual bottle.

As much as I love eating out, the sticker shock at some of these places is off the charts. So places like RL I can at least go in knowing what to expect. 

Edited by Jarrod_Uncut
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