What Red Lobster Employees Wish You Knew

If you're a seafood fan who loves a luscious and delicious lobster, then you've likely been to the world-renowned seafood chain known as Red Lobster. Red Lobster is a seafood restaurant that was established in Florida in 1968, and it now has over 700 locations across the globe. The restaurant chain was founded by Bill Darden, who, according to the Red Lobster website, was "a man passionate about making delicious, high-quality seafood available and affordable to everyone, including people who lived far from the coast."

With such success and global popularity, it's difficult to go anywhere without finding one of these locations somewhere near you. The employees at Red Lobster are also a crucial part of this business's success — without their polite and welcoming hospitality, it would be difficult to keep customers coming back. With a wide menu of dining options, as well as a long history behind it, the Red Lobster employees know a lot about the inner workings of the business that might not be common knowledge. If you're looking for some fun facts and knowledge surrounding this seafood restaurant, you may want to consider the point of view of an employee.

Seafood itself is extremely healthy and can be beneficial to anyone's diet. It contains omega-3 fatty acids and is a great source of protein. However, this is often canceled out after you slap an entire stick of butter onto your lobster or salmon. While we love a buttery biscuit or popcorn from time to time, some might feel a twinge of guilt knowing their seafood is doused in butter. Many of Red Lobster's foods, such as its Salmon New Orleans, are served after being drenched in a Cajun butter sauce, while others, like its Wild-Caught Snow Crab Legs, are served with a side of melted butter.

While it's possible to simply not use the butter if it's presented as a side, it may be unavoidable if it's cooked with the seafood. Fortunately, Red Lobster has a not-so-well-known option that allows you to have the same, fantastic fish meals without the massive amount of butter. The next time you're at Red Lobster, you can ask your server to cook your meal in something a bit healthier than butter, such as olive oil. Then, you can enjoy your seafood without having to worry about all that butter.

You have not truly experienced Red Lobster if you've never tried their Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Warm, crisp, and made fresh in the restaurant, these golden-brown sides are, in our opinion, one of the best things about Red Lobster. In fact, this item is so popular that the Red Lobster online menu has an entire section titled "Biscuits and Extra," and serves over 1 million in a single day. If we could, we'd gladly just have some of these as a meal, and on the Red Lobster online menu, you can find these treasures by half or whole dozens. It's easy to argue that there's no topping Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits...or is there?

What makes Red Lobster's biscuits stand out against other restaurant biscuits is that you can order them as a side with whatever your entrée is. If you've ever felt like you don't get enough Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits, or that they could use a bit more cheese, then we'd like to introduce you to Red Lobster's Extra Cheddar Biscuits. If you feel like you could use an extra biscuit or two, then you can ask your waiter for extras, as well as request them to be extra cheesy. The next time you go to Red Lobster, don't be shy to ask for more biscuits!

Many people have underlying health issues that don't allow them to consume gluten, such as a gluten allergy, or celiac disease. When someone with celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, it causes damage to the lining of their small intestine (per the Mayo Clinic). Because they can't eat gluten, most restaurants try to make sure they carry at least a few gluten-free items, such as Olive Garden's gluten-free pasta, or Chick-fil-A's grilled chicken nuggets.

Most seafood is naturally gluten-free, but it is often cooked or fried in something that contains gluten, making it extremely difficult to figure out if something is safe to eat. At Red Lobster, gluten is not a problem. Because most of its dishes are seafood and meat-based, it's easy to just ask a server if it's possible for a dish to be made without gluten products, or if a specific item contains any gluten at all. Online, Red Lobster also has a Food Allergy Wizard, where you can figure out what dishes contain or come into contact with gluten. You'll find a long list of beverages and meals that are safe for a gluten-free diet, and if nothing fits your palette, just ask!

At many seafood restaurants, lobsters are typically prepared by steaming. This means that the lobster is dropped into boiling water before the heat is slowly reduced until the lobsters have a bright red color. According to Lobsters From Maine, lobsters are generally steamed as opposed to being baked because the method is considered a more "gentle cooking technique," and results in the meat being more flavorful and tender. At Red Lobster, a well-known lobster dish it carries, Live Maine Lobster, is also steamed and roasted.

If you're tired of always having your lobster prepared the same way, you may have the option to ask for your lobster to be prepared a certain way. Next time you are at Red Lobster, politely ask the nearest Red Lobster employee if you can have your lobster grilled instead of steamed. Through this different means of preparation, you'll find yourself with a refreshingly different, grilled flavor with your lobster. While according to Secret Menus, this isn't an option at every Red Lobster location, but don't be shy to ask if it is — the worst they can do is say no.

The endless special promotions are a huge draw for Red Lobster. However, some people like to take the "all-you-can-eat" suggestion to heart by stuffing unhealthy amounts of seafood into their stomachs. U/monkeymoomoo10, who worked at a Red Lobster, claims that they've seen a single person down 15-16 refills during the endless shrimp special, which adds up to more than 150 shrimp). "Guys I used to work with would literally eat competitively and get over 200+ shrimp," they added. Now, that's impressive.

Another employee u/igotcrabs claimed to see people order 40+ refills of shrimp scampi during the special, even claiming to hear of someone who ate 70 plates of it in one sitting. "It depends on what kind of shrimp you get — that much scampi will make you sick – hell – maybe give you a full-blown heart attack," they wrote.

In fact, Red Lobster lost millions of dollars after an all-you-can-eat crab dinner special went wrong. Apparently, the chain underestimated how much crab their customers could eat for just $22.99. The sitting president lost their job after the company lost more than $3 million in profits in just one quarter (via New York Post).

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light some questionable practices from Red Lobster when it came to employee benefits. According to Business Insider, workers at the chain claim they worked while feeling ill because they are not offered any sick leave. One former bartender claims management told him to find someone to cover his shift or he would face getting a write-up, after he tried to call off when he developed COVID-19 symptoms. If employees get four write-ups, they are allegedly subject to termination. 

Following outrage on Twitter, a Red Lobster spokesperson made the claim that it is pretty typical in the chain restaurant industry to not offer paid time off policies to workers. But it does show that being kind and tipping well are important, as some workers are forced to work under the weather in order to make ends meet and rely on money outside of their paychecks. 

The concept of being kind to your server is not limited to Red Lobster, but it can't be stated enough. It is a server's job to make sure your experience at the restaurant is pleasant, but not at their own personal expense. Servers rely on tips from customers to supplement their income, so leaving little to no tip is not the most productive way to demand better service. Restaurant staff are people just like you— they have off days, they sometimes forget things and they just want to do their job and go home. They are not subjected to mistreatment from overly demanding, and especially aggressive, customers. 

Red Lobster employees have been subject to unruly customers in the past, so it's always important to be kind. Especially now when the U.S. is experiencing a massive labor shortage, it's really important to be patient when you go out to eat.