Red Lobster - Endless Shrimp is the worst promotion ever
Dear Red Lobster,
I hate you.
Every year you foist upon us this hell. It is a nightmare. Whale sized people eating more than a small African nation. Ghetto trash trying to take a week's worth of "skrimp" home. Children playing in scampi grease and spreading it everywhere. The destruction of the polar ice caps. Well most of that stuff anyhow.
Endless shrimp is two to three times the work for less average pay. Sure it might generate some return customers, but I'd like to see a survey done of how many people come to Red Lobster for the first time because of this promotion, and how often then they subsequently come back. My guess is that there is no direct correlation. And it kills your staff. It kills server moral. It kills the prep team grinding extra hard every afternoon to get ready for the onslaught that evening. It kills the dish guys because they have to wash it all. It is a nightmare for stores that use bussers because their work is far greater with no increase in return. What kind of business model intentionally pisses off the vast majority of your employees? I understand you don't care about us, we figured that out a long time ago, but do you really have to shove this hot poker up our asses each year to prove your point that you don't care? I'd rather you just come by my house and kick me in the balls once a year rather than this long torture. Or at least limit it to Monday-Wednesday when most stores are slow. I really, REALLY hate this promotion.
From the Red Lobster web site:
Explore Endless Possibilities
The wait is over. Red Lobster’s best value of the year is back! For a limited time during Endless Shrimp, mix and match new creations like our NEW! Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp – wood-grilled and brushed with a tangy teriyaki glaze – with classic favorites like Garlic Shrimp Scampi or Hand-Breaded Shrimp. Also try Cajun Shrimp, tossed with a spicy Cajun butter sauce, or our sweet Coconut Shrimp Bites. Then, when you’re ready, you can do it all again.
The shrimp may be endless, but this offer isn’t. Hurry in today!
All entrées come with choice of salad and unlimited Cheddar Bay Biscuits™.
I know we have to build a customer base, but do we have to do it by catering to the lowest common denominator every year?
I will be pointing my guest to the:
Harborside Lobster and Shrimp
A roasted rock lobster tail, savory garlic shrimp scampi and a skewer of garlic-grilled jumbo shrimp over wild rice pilaf. 23.99
And if your store has the Sam Adams Octoberfest beer - get it. It's awesome beer!
36 comments:
i HATE endless shrimp. My average tip is about $3 on endless shrimp tables, because it brings out the people that don't normally eat at Red Lobster because it is "too expensive". I had a table that kept ordering shrimp refills even though they had not finished their previous orders, and I knew they were going to ask for a box to take it all home after they had ordered about 9 refills. I kept ringing in the shrimp orders, just waiting for them to ask for a box. When they did, I happily told them that I could not give them a box. One of the guys made a comment along the lines of "Well, you're just going to throw this all away", and I smiled at him and said "Yep! But you can't have a box, sorry". They left me a $2 tip between the four of them, but that would have been the tip I would have gotten even if I could have given them a box.
I am so sorry for you. So so sorry.
Oh Dear God. Yuck. Sorry.
This is definitely the worst promotion ever. I love getting a $0.03 tip on a $63.97 bill. It's my favorite.
I love the rant, and I enjoy reading your blog.
I'm actually a regular customer, usually twice a month. I do go more often during Endless Shrimp and LobsterFest, though.
The two stores I frequent most actually encourage you to order a refill right away(sometimes as they are delivering the first order). Maybe just to flip the table quicker, not sure.
Regardless, I actually tip a bit more than my standard 20% (usually 25%) during these promotions because I know the waiters and waitresses are getting shived by other diners.
Thanks for your hard work!
Wow... Red Lobster worker here in Ohio. Pretty freaky how accurate your blog is about RL. The RL I work at has a large group of us that have all been there together for 5-10 or more years, I am only 25... sad. Anyhow, seriously, really, truly, can not tell you how much I enjoy your blog!!! One of my coworkers printed out a few of your entries and we all read you now. Your famous! LOL. Your entry on RL meetings sounded like it was coming out of my own mouth. God are those pointless. Thanks again, will be keeping up with your posts.
Kristen
If I take my whale ass into the local Blob Lobster for skrimps (people really say that?) I'll remember to tip extra... just because of you.
(and I'm a MOOSE not a WHALE, thank you. :-P)
When I saw the commercial for this promotion this year first I got very excited .. and then I remembered your posting on this last year and I felt sorry for you.
I also thogught about it and I realized I get so excited about this each year (though I do go 4-5 other times through the year) but I very, very rarely get a refill. So why the the hell am I so excited? Stupid, eh?
God I love you! Lol, "I understand you don't care about us, we figured that out a long time ago..." how true a feeling of the whole industry. (Not just the glorious RL.) I work at place that has a discount night, and the cheap asses all flock in for it. They tip crappy, order water to keep the tab even lower, and camp long enough to keep Coleman in business until my great grandchildren retire... Hang in there friend.
If you spent as much time looking for a new job as you do bitching about the one you have you could probably wind up in a work environment that you actually enjoy. Go to school maybe, so you don't have to work at the Lob. :p
This is an awesome blog and hopefully you have visitors that are being educated about how to treat a server like the professional that they are. Of course, some are more professional than others and deserve to be compensated as such yes?
Please post some stories about this year's endless shrimp experience. The stories about bad (and good) customers are the best part of this blog.
You know what I wish? I wish the Red Lobster in my area could cook shrimp. They are little rubber balls. I went there twice and I'll never go again after the last one... and your picture looks good. 'Tis sad, I'm one of the people who gets what they want and damn the cost.
What?! Your Lob doesn't let people take endless shrimp home? It's just about encouraged at mine. I don't let it go overboard, but if grandma orders and then doesn't get a refill, I'll offer her the shrimp pasta to go. This is in michigan.
you aren't supposed to take home shrimp at any red lobster during endless shrimp. it's just easier to let people than to tell them no and not get a tip at all.
if you hate all you can eat shrimp days QUIT it is not the masses fault you work there don't complain do something about go back to school get a batter job. this is what is wrong with ppl today no one wants to work and when you do work all you do is complain about how hard it is. just get over your self you picked this path for you life i feel you all deserve to be treated like shit cause you are at the bottom that is how things work as long and you company is following all the laws for breaks and such and they aren't violating any or your works rights feel lucky you have the job you have cause if you could do better you would have and as far as feeling bad for the bus boys and dish washers chances are they are young ppl and this will be character building to encourage them to do something with there life be for they are bitter and blaming every one else for there problems and there crappy job like you are
Hey Mike,
My guess is I'm far more educated than you think. I've completed a Master's degree already, and about 1/3 of a doctorate before I stopped my education because I came to the conclusion my doctorate will only cost me money not make me money at this point. But don't let that get in the way of your rant. I mean researching my educational level on this blog would be something a...err...educated person might actually consider doing. I mean it was a whole 5 posts ago where I last talked about my education, and that post is still on the front page of this blog, but don't worry, I'll sit here feeling dumb and sorry for myself...
Endless shrimp...I agree with everything said. You get the people who come in once a year and don't know how to act in a restaurant. I would like to share a quick story about endless shrimp from about a month ago. So it is a Friday nights or something, getting busy, I start my shift at 5:30 or so, and get triple sat a 4 top, 7 top, and 11 top (with a server who doesn't do jack ****, so of course I'm gonna be doing all the work). Anyways, I am running around doing my thing, get all the drinks, salad, and food out. It just so happens that every one of the people I am serving are getting endless for the most part. One table, I drop off the food, and ask if this guy wants a refill on his endless, he says yes and gives me his order. Now this is my first stop in my rotation of 22 guests. I happened to forget he wanted a refill, I go get some drink refills or something at the bar, come back, and I ask this guy (who I forgot about the shrimp) how everything is going, he freaks out on me telling me that I forgot to get him his shrimp, and I am like "Sorry sir, they should be out any minute" but he isn't satisfied, he picks up his plate and pushes it across the table demanding to see my manager. So I get her, this guy causes a scene and makes my manager comp the entire meal for all 4 people, and give him a gift card to make sure he would come back. I am thinking "We don't want people like this back??". Anyways, my manager over reacts and cuts me (meaning I won't be given any more tables, and once mine are all gone I can leave), it's like literally 5:50 or so, and I still have the 7 and 11 tops. The 7 top left relatively quickly which was nice. But this 11 top, 2 of the white trash guys there decided they were going to eat half the Pacific Ocean, and really give this endless shrimp thing a run for its money. These two guys literally had 20+ refils a piece, and everyone else in this big party were annoyed by them and wanted to leave, but these two guys just obviously weren't getting the "social Que" that it was time to leave, so it was awkward for everyone at the table, it was awkward and a pain in my ass for me, and get this, they didn't leave until 9 pm! It was the only table I had for almost 3 hours! I could have turned over 7-8 booths in that time and made bank, but noooo, my manager cut me so I didn't get anymore tables. I ran all these refills, pre-bussed the shit out of this table, all for a 7.5% tip (since the 15% gratuity was added and I had to split it with the other server assigned to the table) Definitely one of the worst nights of my life.
Here's to endless shrimp, and the nazi-ism that is the by the book corporate management system of Red Lobster!
Don't forget to mention that they decided to *extend* the promotion this year... because two months of hell wasn't quite enough!
I can imagine what a pain in the ass that is. We have a senior specials at my work, customers get a free drink, or a 2 dollar glass of wine, salad or soup, entree and dessert all for 6.99. It is hell, I feel your pain. The best part is that people never tip when they are getting a good deal! I just found your blog and it is really cool. Please check out mine, it is called www.stuckserving.com. If you like it maybe we could put links up for each other. Thanks!
I work for the olive garden. We just had our never ending pasta bowl. I can agree with everything that the R.L. Employees are saying about the endless shrimp. At least with endless shrimp the price is 15.99. Where as with endless pasta, it's only 8.95. But still. Every year you get the white trash people that only eat somewhere nice when they can save as much money as possible. My average tip from a pasta bowl table was 3 dollars, and living in Utah I only make 2.13 an hour. During the pasta bowl I have to work 50 hours a week just to cover my rent. That's with me and another server sharing rent. Pasta bowl is the worst two months or the year. The best feeling is the day after it ends and you get a party of 25 people all ready for the endless pasta and you get to tell them that it ended yesterday (speaking from experience). During pasta bowl I always get a table that has a compatition to see who can eat the most refills. I had a four top with 76 refills between them. No exageration!!! 76 f***ing refills. 6 dollar tip. If your going to sit at my table for 5 hours. You Better leave a decent tip. I'll admit that I went to endless shrimp and got 12 refills between myself and my girlfriend. But we also got a bottle of wine and dessert, the total ticket was around 64 dollars. Our server was awesome. I left a 30 dollar tip. I know the hell of unlimited soup salad and breadsticks. I refuse to work lunch shifts at olive garden due to that promotion. You get all the people that are on lunch break and in a hurry. The worst is when the guest says their going to be easy. Soup salad and breadsticks is all done by the server. We don't even have to ring anything in! Four people with soup salad and breadsticks and waters can eat for 30.04 (that includes tax). And always leave a 4 to 5 dollar tip. I do more work for those tables and get the smallest tips. I could go on all day about the olive garden. But it all comes down to corporate business and stupid people. Hopefully most the people reading this make more then 2.13 an hour. And better tips.
You all act like your sh1t doesn't stink. These people are customers, and they deserve the same service every other customer deserves. It's a job. You get paid. I don't get a tip at my job, and I put up with azzhole bosses etc. Just do your work. Would you want servers disrespecting YOUR family based on what they ordered?
Endless Shrimp does suck. We deal with people that just wanna eat like pigs and dont tip shit. The only money we make is our tips, because our checks goes on taxes, so we don't want whales coming to eat our SKRIMP (u wouldn't believe how many people pronounce like that), stay at the tables for 2 hours and give 2 or 3 dollars tip, if that.
Not forgetting all the stupid questions like: The Seaside Trio is also unlimited? That means we can eat all the lobsters we want? Do we get refills on the baked potatoes and fries?
U can give the best service possible to this people, but they wont tip you shit, because they dont know how to act at a restaurant. They think that it is like a fast food place, where u just pay for your meal, but u dont have to tip.
I won't consider this people customers, i will consider them like rats or animals, and if somebody that is reading this feels disrespected i dont give a shit, that means that u are the one who goes out there and dont tip, and just wanna get your ass fatter.
Great blog
From the sound of it, you just assume that anyone who orders endless shrimp from you is a piece of trash who deserves poor service for making your life hell. That's a pretty extreme attitude. Tips are supposed to be gifts for exceptional service, and shouldn't be taken for granted. If someone gives me crap service they don't get a tip. 99% of the time, the only reason you even get tips at all is because people have been shamed into thinking it's mandatory over the years.
Anyway - Red Lobster isn't exactly fine dining, so you should consider yourself lucky that they get away with the prices that they do. A lot of servers work at places where an average meal costs $8 to $12 even without a promo going on. Just remember that the next time someone buys some $17 endless shrimp from you. You can't begrudge a person for coming in due to a promo. Everyone likes to save money, even YOU, your friends, your family, etc. It's not the customer's fault that RL doesn't schedule more servers to work during big promos.
If someone comes in and ACTS like an animal, that's one thing. But I don't want to get lumped into that category just for having the nerve to come in and order endless shrimp. You'd still get 15% of an above-average-priced meal from me just for doing your job, but only if I got good service. If you treat everyone who orders endless shrimp like they're an animal, pretty soon animals will be the only ones who think $17 is even worth the hassle of coming in.
No, not all the people that come for Endless Shrimp behave like that. It is some kind of people that have no manners, no education at all. They don't know how to ask for things, they are rude, and of course they don't know how to tip.
I go out dining too, and if i don't get a good service, i won't leave a good tip either. I think that a server must work to deserve a good tip.
The point here is that this promotion brings some kind of people to the restaurant which any server wouldn't like to deal with, because you don't make money plus they will give such a hard time. It don't matter if you give them the best service. I know that is part of the job to have some bad customers, but during this promotion you have them more than usual
I am a bartender at red lobster and have to agree with just about every post here... my resturant has a fairly large bar that seats about 20... so that means no wait if u choose to dine at the bar.. the flocks of people that a-line to us are beyond ridiculos!!! The general public assumes that no wait means as soon as u sit you eat. Not true not true at all.. the average server will work on a 3 table rotation at the bar on the other hand its whoever sits there has to get served... now keep in mind its still the BAR and we are also responsible for making all the drinks, that's for the guests dining in, eating at the bar and those who decide to have a cocktail while waiting... we are also responsible for washing our own bar glasses... this makes it impossible to keep up some times, and since its the bar we split tips so yes when you get a three dollar tip after running ur @$$ off your only entitled to $1 great isn't it!! we even have had guests to try to stand and eat, I mean c'mon how can u expect a good experience if your trying to hover over your date and eat. All we ask for is a little patience but this is unheard of in this industry. But in comarison to the last couple of years this endless was nothing.. this is my 3rd season and its not even 1/2 of what I expected.. I do have to say there was a highlight to this endless, a frequent guest whom always eats endless had about a $30 bill after a few beers did leave me a $250 tip so that made up for a lot of the bs tips that week.. to all my fellow red lobbsterland employees HANG IN THERE!!! Just one week left, Darden is a great corp 2 work for the will look out for you.. 7 days and counting!!
I'm not a server but i can understand how horrible this promotion can be to the wait staff. However, i am planning on going to RL this evening for this very deal. I want to eat a lot of shrimp, but i swear i plan to tip well. Probably 30-40%. Do you all think i should mention this to my waiter to up their spirits a bit and not worry that i'm just trying to be a pain in their ass? Possibly give them part of the tip before the meal?
Yeah you better tip them at least 30% up front so they don't spit in your "skrimps." Does that really make you feel good about going there?
Former RL server here - I ate endless a month or so ago, and tipped 25% for average service. This is indeed the worst promo, though it's not as bad as the infamous Endless Crab that got our then CEO canned! But the nightmare stories that can be told from this promotion are all true.
My favorite part of this promotion (and believe me, there are very few redeeming things in Endless Shrimp) was when I would have a tiny Asian lady come in and order it and then eat more than the linemen from the University of Minnesota! No, I'm not kidding! I've seen some little ladies eat 3-4 times the amount I every could, and I'm a big guy. And no, they weren't storing them. A remarkable gastronomical display!
First of all, fuck every asshole commenting here telling you to just "suck it up" because you work in a restaurant and should except being treated like a piece of shit by asshole customers who have lived their whole lives in this country yet still can not understand the rudimentary basics of tipping for service. This is America, morons. 10% is for bad service, 15% is for adequate service, 20% or more is for well done or better service. If you can't grasp this concept, go dine in Europe (not disparaging that continent because I loved my time there but customer service is a shadow of what it is here) and see what kind of service you get.
Servers in most parts of this country make considerably less than minimum wage. The Utah commenter making 2 dollars and change per hour is typical. I made $2.04 an hour when I was a server in Texas and my two week paycheck was always around 5-10 dollars after taxes. It's literally a joke. I'm lucky that I make over 8 an hour working in the San Francisco Bay area although my cost of living is substantially higher so I suppose it balances out but people should never forget that servers live and die by their tips and any asshole who can't understand this should just stay home, open a can of soup and fuck themselves.
I've seen the Olive Garden promos for endless soup, salad and bread sticks many times and every time I do I think, "My God, how can people make enough to live on slaving away at that shit?" My own restaurant located in a fairly affluent neighborhood has had to resort to $20 meal deals Sun.-Thurs. lately and I've definitely noticed a decline in both the class of guests and the average of tips. I understand that businesses must do what they have to do during lean times but I do not have to like it (and trust me, I've been chatised several times about my "negative attitude" as it pertains to this promo).
I recently saw a commercial for RL's Endless Shrimp promo and was thinking of going (I dine out quite a bit and always tip well but RL has pretty much been off my radar since I was a kid) but your blog has made me second guess that inclination. I wouldn't be doing it on the cheap (like most restaurant folk, I drink copious amounts of alcohol and quite enjoy it) and would obviously tip accordingly but I would still appreciate your advice: should I go and slide a preemptive ten to my server to let them know that they will be taken care of or would you recommend just not troubling them at all?
Understand, I love shrimp and might make a (neat) pig of myself on this one occasion but I also understand your particular plight and I would hate to add to the misery of a fellow server if I could help it. Any feedback would be helpful and good luck with your blog.
JBW,
Go. Go and eat a shitheap of shrimp. If you want to do the preemptive tip, that would rock. I've done it myself, and had people do it to me and it is always a nice thing. You'll probably make that server's night. So enjoy.
Lobster Boy
Lol, this is all so fucking despicable people...
...but helpful, I guess. Definitely changed my plans for tonight!
I've done the endless shrimp deal twice. Both times it was clear the server wasn't happy about it, but on my second visit I tried the preemptive tip idea. I gave the girl $20 up front, for a bill that would be under $20. I figured $40 was a great price to pig out on shrimp and have refills brought regularly. And I thought my server would be thrilled with a 100%+ tip.
Apparently not. I saw her about once an hour, the shrimp she brought out was cold, and she reeked of cigarettes the few times I did see her.
Anyway, that was last year and I figured it was probably a fluke. I was thinking about going for some tonight (there's a week left, according to RL's website), even though I haven't gone to a sit-down restaurant since May (I was laid off in June).
Thankfully I googled about bad service during endless shrimp and found this. Looks like the shitty service I've gotten twice is the norm! I'll take my $40, buy my own seafood and cook it up myself.
And I'll take this all to the next level...this is the problem with America! Shitheads leave shitty tips, servers develop vendettas against their customers. You're all a bunch of horrible fucks. I hope the swine flu actually mutates into something serious and kills you all.
I hope this fucking country dies. Yes, literally. I hope the economy takes another nose dive and you flag-waving selfish motherfuckers get kicked out of your homes and then apartments. I hope you all become meth addicts and abandon your babies in garbage bins.
Fuck Red Lobster! Fuck the United States of America!! FUCK EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ONE OF YOU, YOU STUPID FUCKING CUNTS!!!!!!
Oh, and I hope you all get cancer and die, too...
FUCK THIS MISERABLE FUCKING EXCUSE OF A COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I found your blog searching for "endless shrimp" because I'd been wanting some, and read this. I did end up going out to RL tonight and got the endless, but sat at the bar, tried not to be a pig, and tipped over 20%.
I agree, 100% with this post. Unfortunately, Darden does not. I also work for the corporate greed machine, and just endured my 2nd year of Endless Shrimp.
I had to borrow money from my parents several times to make rent, and have been making roughly 70% normal wages for ~300-500% increased work.
If you think we're exaggerating, go see for yourself.
This promotion was even extended this year to be a whopping 3 fucking months long. 1/4 of the year dealing with those cheap ass gluttons.
I'm in Arizona to boot, to my wage pay is only $4.25 an hour. When those fat whales come in, sit in my booth for 3 hours eating 45 refills of shrimp and leaving me $5, I literally don't get to eat.
Fuck you Darden, Fuck you Red Lobster, and fuck all you pathetic Endless Shrimp clientel that fit it the above categories. You know who you are. Can't wait 'til I'm done with school and outta that place.
America needs a re-balance and soon.
you guys are so sorry to complain about something so dumb. most of the world is out of a job at the moment so you should consider yourself lucky. also, anything dealing with customer service sucks like a bich so if you know thats not your strong suit, you need to look for something that suits you. i agree with the guy that was talking about education, it is the key to your success. with all of the free programs and grants, there is no reason for any one to settle in a field that they are not happy with. for jbrookesut527, it amazes me how you can leave a 30 dollar tip when you are having a hard time paying your rent. it seems to me that you should stick to hotdogs and ramen noodles. i leave you with this, if you hate your "crappy job" do us all a favor and quit and let someone who really needs a job have it.
I think that it is truly amazing how many people just do not understand what it is like to be a server. Those people have NEVER worked in a restaurant, or they would clearly understand. We have really great days, and really bad days, and it doesnt always depend on money. Being treated like a SERVANT, would really put anyone into a bad mood. RL is a great company and has many great promotions. Many times I just try to say...well...lobsterfest will come eventually. We don't hate every guest that orders endless shrimp! Come in and be pleasant, don't argue about how many refills you can have at a time, and how many boxes I can give you, and i wont feel put out. Treat me like a server, and not a serVANT and I would love to make sure you have a great time. What is so hard for people to understand about the fact that after month 2 of endless, we are BEHIND ON BILLS BECAUSE WE ARE MAKING NO MONEY?! It is very discouraging and really lowers moral. It shouldnt please us sooo very much to tell them the day after that the promotion ended yesterday! TOO BAD!
I really enjoy this blog, keep up the great work. I have been with the company for 4 years and am moving into management, but I LISTEN to my crew, i AM one, and i really love the honesty, so make sure to give us more!
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