Red Lobster - Louisville

We visit the St. Matthews location almost every week, but due to a power outage there, we decided to try this location. Unfortunately, the service was very disappointing. It took nearly 20 minutes just to place our drink order, and the food took an eternity to arrive. My steak, which was meant to be cooked medium, came out extremely overcooked and resembled a rock. Additionally, the server forgot to bring crab crackers and butter for the crab legs, and we had to wait another 20 minutes for those. The steamed broccoli tasted overly saturated with butter, and the food was all served cold. Something definitely needs to be addressed here. I’m very disappointed!

The seafood was amazing to start with. If you have no dietary restrictions, definitely eat here. Although the national chain has gluten-free and allergy-friendly protocols, maybe the training isn 't reaching the staff involved with the food. I worked in Hospitality for over 15 years. Red Lobster is a reliable chain. I made it perfectly clear that I could not have gluten. I asked my server if there was an allergy or gluten button on the register like Olive Garden has. My server said she was new and had never taken a gluten-free order and checked with her manager. She came back with a giant binder listing allergy ingredients. I said no problem. I 'd use Red Lobster 's website with the allergen selector to find out what was gluten free. Rice was not listed. I did not order rice because it was not listed. I did not know they even offered rice, a naturally gluten-free food if it is plain. I substituted grilled shrimp for the breaded shrimp on my platter. It came in a bed of rice. I did not order rice, right ; , but after all the explanation about NO GLUTEN and having to send back my salad, I trusted that my order would NOT CONTAIN GLUTEN. After I finished my incredibly tasty seafood meal, I noticed a piece of orzo (pasta that looks like rice on my plate. I am absolutely heartbroken thinking how sick I will be once the wheat-laden rice gets to my small intestines. After I paid, I asked our server to go check with the kitchen to be sure there wasn 't any pasta mixed in with the rice (that I didn 't order and appeared on my special-request/substitution plate . She came back and said, Nope! It 's just plain rice! Which clearly it was not. I checked the online resource when I got home. The rice contains gluten and wheat. After paying $125 for a celebratory dinner for 2, I get to look forward to missing 4 or 5 days of work because the staff didn 't pay attention to the customer 's order. I 've eaten at several other Red Lobsters in Louisville, Tennessee and Florida. Never had a problem. Please train your staff better. I explained things pretty clearly. Either the server did not communicate to the kitchen, or your kitchen staff has no idea what is in the food. I feel really let down! #glutenfree #celiac #foodsafety

Paige quickly noticed the mistake and informed us about what had happened, assuring us that a manager would come to speak with us shortly. Unfortunately, by 8:55 PM, we still had not received our food. Although Paige continued to assure me that a manager would arrive, our meals were finally served at 9:00 PM, but there was still no sign of the manager. Paige expressed her embarrassment over the situation and mentioned that she had tried several times to get the manager, but he hadn't shown up yet. In an effort to make amends, Paige offered us a complimentary dessert, which I had to decline due to my diabetes. I asked her to inform the manager, Eric Mayes, about our desire to speak with him, as we felt that a free dessert didn't adequately address the long wait and lack of management attention. After a few minutes, Paige returned with disappointing news: the manager didn't want to come to our table and was busy "taking out the trash." Is this really how a restaurant is managed? I was taken aback that the GM, tasked with overseeing operations, didn’t think it necessary to address a dissatisfied guest. I expected, at the very least, an unprompted visit from a manager; sadly, even a requested visit didn’t happen. This lack of engagement feels very unprofessional. Paige did everything in her power to help us, but it was clear that Eric Mayes was indifferent to the customers in the dining room. A simple visit from him could have turned the entire evening around. I feel embarrassed for the Louisville community, as this restaurant seems to be poorly managed. Despite our attempts to speak with anyone in charge, it remains baffling that this establishment is still operating under his leadership. Let me reiterate that Paige was exceptional and deserves recognition; it’s apparent that Eric is not fulfilling his role effectively.

This was my first visit to a Red Lobster, and I don’t think I’ll be rushing back anytime soon. The excitement around their famous drop biscuits seems overblown, at least according to my taste buds. They were soft but seemed slightly undercooked; still, my companion managed to eat five of them while I couldn’t even finish one. The service was inconsistent, which seems to be common these days post-pandemic. Although there were quite a few broken shells in my broth, I did enjoy the garlic muscles—they were flavorful and well-balanced. Lastly, I believe that restrooms in less busy restaurants should be impeccably clean, but that wasn’t the case here. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite dining experience. I might consider giving them another chance, but only if I’m not paying for it.

There were 7 of us to dine at 6pm. Food was delicious. Waiter was attentive and prompt with the orders. However, we were rushed through our dinner by staff and Manager. She wanted to send her staff home early due to the weather. The weather was forecasted days ahead. We new what we were going to be facing so we drove our 4wd. If they couldn't accommodate guests because of the incoming weather, they shouldn't have served us, or have been opened.