Red Lobster – Daytona Beach

It had been four to five years since we last visited Red Lobster, mostly because we found a better option nearby, which I’ll review in a few days. Yesterday, we decided to try the Daytona Red Lobster because they were offering all-you-can-eat shrimp. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed.

FOOD: I ordered the all-you-can-eat shrimp with coconut shrimp, shrimp linguine, breaded garlic shrimp, and a baked potato. The coconut shrimp and shrimp linguine were not good, but they ended up being the best part of the meal. The breaded garlic shrimp had far too much garlic for my taste, the Walt’s shrimp was bland, the baked potato was lukewarm, and the tartar sauce was so watered down that it would not stick to the shrimp. My friend ordered the Admiral’s Feast, which used to be our go-to meal at Red Lobster, and he was also very disappointed. Everything had a bitter taste except the bay scallops, which he said were not bad. His baked potato was room temperature, to the point the butter would not melt on the potato. Overall, we rated the food 2 out of 10.

SERVICE: The service was acceptable. The food arrived within a reasonable amount of time, and the waiter was professional and attentive, although he made a mistake with the iced tea refills. The shrimp refills were timely and hot, despite the food issues noted above. We would rate the service 5 out of 10: nothing exceptional, but satisfactory.

Overall, Red Lobster is not what it used to be. The portions have gotten smaller, and the quality has declined. We would rate the experience 4 out of 10 and would not return.