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Monday, August 25, 2008

Red Lobster Robot Writes In

Anonymous said on 'Red Lobster's Robotic Service and Bland Food'...

You all suck! I am a server at Red Lobster and I work my a** off for bi***y, changing the menu people like you way too often! Seriously. I had a guy ask me if I knew what a "lemon wedge" is the other night!!! Am I retarded? I have feelings and a way of doing things! For your information, Darden, the corporation of Red Lobster has a system and way of doing things for EVERYTHING we do. Biscuits go with salads, that's the way it goes!!! Don't ask for biscuits like you're starving! We place your orders in a computer, there is only so much it allows us to change! Lobster pizza with no lobster?!?! Get chicken b***h! It doesn't smell that bad in here either, we work here, deal with it! Let us do our jobs and don't ask for honey on a GARLIC CHEDDAR biscuit, that's disgusting! thanks a** holes

Posted: August 24, 2008 11:35pm

Dear Anonymous:

First. Let me thank you for taking time to comment on Green Eggs. It's always nice to hear from satisfied, pleasant employees who currently work at restaurants we discuss here.

I also want to thank you for supporting every point I made in my original post. While you didn't intend to offer your support, I think it's fairly clear after reading a little bit further into your comments that you agree with everything I said about our last experience at your fine establishment.

I said in my story that it was difficult to make menu changes to the items we want. Our expectations as consumers is that we have flexibility when ordering menu items, especially when we're paying almost $20 an entree. If I can have it my way at Burger King, I should be able to have my way at Red Lobster.

You claim that you, "work your butt off" for "people" like me. Clearly, with an attitude like that you probably aren't working hard enough, which is most likely why you get your feelings hurt all the time by guests who are just trying to have a good experience at your restaurant.

I said that the service was "robotic", "automated and in personal". Guests expect to have "personal attention" when eating out. We anticipate that the server will be interested in our well being and try to meet our needs in any way possible.

You said that Darden (Red Lobster's company) has a "system" and a "way" of doing things for EVERYTHING you do. Sounds robotic to me. Sometimes systems aren't more important than people.

I said we wanted more cheddar biscuits, and I hate to break it to you but your biscuits are one of the only reasons some people go to Red Lobster. Why not give them what they want?

You said, we acted like we were starving (we were) and that biscuits ONLY come with salads - there you go with the robot thing again.

I said, my wife wanted Lobster pizza with no lobster.

You said she was a b***h, and told her to get chicken.

You should know better than that. Your computer system won't let you add chicken to Lobster Pizza. Silly.

I thought you were suppose to be providing us great guest service? Oh, I forgot getting called vulgar names by a restaurant server makes me feel warm and cozy inside. You know what? You just convinced me to take her to Red Lobster for her birthday.

My poor, young, innocent brother wanted honey for his biscuit.

You said we're disgusting. Even if we are, does it matter? This makes me feel like the time you guys sang to me for my Birthday and in the middle of the song asked me what my name was.

The core themes of my experience at your restaurant were: robotic service, unwillingness to make exceptions for our desires, and bland food.

The core themes of your comments were: we are robots who follow a process, we don't care about our guests, and our restaurant smells - deal with it.

It appears we have the same feelings towards Red Lobster.

OH, in case you forgot what Red Lobster promises their servers are "suppose" to do, you can read it on their website by clicking here.

Thanks for reading -

Dan

Posted by Dan Holm at 9:36 PM
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11 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.
    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't explain how amazing and well thought out this entry is. I like honey, it's a biscuit...I can't help it. Some people like crazy mixtures of food. Don't judge them...try them.
    http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=54990
    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow great post. I mean lets think about it. You can order a cupcake from that cupcake place you mentioned before for oh I don't know a dollar, and get great service from a nice employee. Or get horrible service and pay 20 bucks for a plate of bland tasting seafood. I'd probrably just eat 10 cupcakes and call it a night. Oh and cursing out a man, his wife and his brother shows absolutely zero class.
    ReplyDelete
  4. Dan, I just looked at Red Lobster’s job description page and it has a job description for the baker which reads:

    "Baker-
    Bake the fresh Cheddar Bay biscuits that greet everyone immediately upon their arrival. It's a big part of why they keep coming back."

    If that server said that biscuits only come with salads, then Red Lobster needs to update their website. Maybe they just need to do some "house cleaning" in the management department for the locations that don't operate according the so-called "Darden Way" of doing things.
    But hey, it's not their fault I guess. They don't have the P&B's to look to for guidance.
    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm going to let red lobster in on a little secret we used at Chick-fil-a when someone needed something that wasn't in the computer. You walk back and say to someone in the kitchen, "hey I need x thing x way" and you know what out in a couple minutes comes said thing. If I could pull it off with half retarded high school kids running my kitchen I better red lobster can do it.
    ReplyDelete
  7. I currently work at Red Lobster...Unfortunately. I agree everything is a bit robotic. Darden really does have a system of doing things and if the employees don't go by it they will get written up. "Three strikes your out" kind of thing. I actually got written up for putting buiscuts out before salads. They think if we bring buiscuts out before customers order that they wont order an appetizer which means less income. And to what Kyle said, you can't just ask them to cook something you didn't put into the computer they can and will get fired for it. The Expo can only do so much. I also work my a** off with little respect from the majority of people who come in. I am always friendly and personal but it doesn't seem to matter when it comes to leaving me a decent tip.
    ReplyDelete
  8. You likely get poor service because you are a total prick to everyone in the service industry, and feel you are entitled to way too much.

    Here's a novel idea asshole, IF YOU DON'T WANT SHITTY FOOD, DON'T GO TO RED LOBSTER.

    Stay at home and cook, noone is going to miss your smug presence.
    ReplyDelete
  9. Eh, as a certified trainer @ RL in PA, I must say the server that left you the comment was out of line. At our RL (6290), anything you ask for, if we are capable of making it, you get it. Enough said. We want you to come back, again & again, so if we are physically able to make a dish you would like (Pizza, no lobster, sub shrimp) we can do it. It's been done many times before.And like the Chick-Filet man said, if there is no way to ring in your order, we give our chefs your special instructions, then just use an open food key to change the price if needed. I feel terrible that you had a bad experience in dealing with RL, it pains me to know that Darden allows morons to serve, when clearly they should be back in the dish pit. Have a great day.

    (We do get asked for honey quite a bit, not only for biscuits, but for our hot tea, and unfortunatly, our Rl does not carry honey at all, nor do we carry mayo or BBQ sauce,in case you were wondering)
    ReplyDelete
  10. I feel the pain of the writer. Truth is that most of the people that want you to change every item from the menu are usually terrible tippers. The people that order from the menu are far more likely to give you the 20% or more you hope for to offset the trash that comes in to the place.

    Red Lobster treats their employees like dogs. If a customer asks me for something special, I have to go beg my manager who will talk to me like I am the one requesting the change. Now I have both my manager and the customer upset. It is easy to see why the writer misplaces his blame on the customer the same way a guy that stiffs me on a check because his Lobster was overcooked misplaces his blame on the service.
    Biscuits make me crazy !!!!! Red Lobster now limits it to 1 biscuit per person due to waste. Now I get to hear how stupid I am by table after table when some idiot at corporate made the decision. Furthermore, if I get caught server 2 per person I will get a write up.

    Absolutely right about the ROBOTIC part. I am REQUIRED TO:

    1) Tell you about fresh fish menu
    2) Tell you about the Wood Fire Grill
    3) Tell you about the Promo Menu
    4) say "I promise to take good care of you"
    5) Tell you I have a service partner and their name
    6) If at lunch ask "are you on a time constraint"
    7) Ask you if you would like an appetizer
    8) Recommend a drink

    Not much time to get personal. Red Lobster has some great employees. Red Lobster as a company causes most of the issues you brought up but all too often it is blamed on the server.
    ReplyDelete
  11. Dan, you might be a cool guy but on this one, you are dead wrong. I've worked as a server for both red lobster and olive garden. This company DEFINES robotic. They are so worried about rules that they have totally lost sight of practicality. It is so true about the server requirements. I've seen tons of people sent home because they neglected to mention the fucking fresh fish menu. My first gm sent a server home for not ironing a crease down the side of each sleeve. Management is usually worried about one issue: their manager. When it comes down to it, servers will prioritize service to tables they think will leave around 20% or better. It sucks, but if we didn't dickwads coming through doors every now and then, we wouldn't have to profile.

    Do yourself and your server a favor and THINK. Don't fuck with the people who handle your food.
    ReplyDelete

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