Red Lobster - Rochester - Jefferson Rd.

Excellent all around

WE went for my Fiancé's birthday dinner and we both loved our plates!

Food was lovely - we all enjoyed the apps and of course the CHEDDAR CHEESE BISCUITS, and 3/4 enjoys our mains and sides (husband did not enjoy his fish n chips, too greasy). Service was too notch, place was spotless and very COVID-minded (hand sanitizer, masks, pay at table, distancing between tables). Wouldn't have gone out but we were saying goodbye to dear, dear friends.

This is NOT a restaurant that takes reservations. We booked the “reservation” on Open Table, arrived 5 minutes before the reservation and was told this was a “call ahead” booking and they put us on the list. We waited over 2 hours for a table. Restaurants like this should be offered on this app unless it clearly states that the reservation is not an actual reservation.

In spite of using open table, it took a full 30 minutes to seat us. They did not have a server to clear an empty but dirty table and seat/serve us, in spite of the fact that they had THREE hosts on duty.

I took my 90-something mother and two of her long-time friends (younger) here specifically so she could enjoy a boiled lobster, one of her favorite foods, which is not served in her long-term care facility. But Red Lobster was out of live lobster. Our waiter told us they'd had a problem (didn't specify what) and had only 3-pounders available for $90, clearly not appropriate for my mother. We ordered broiled lobster tails for her instead. They appeared to be overdone. My broiled tilapia was overdone, and so was the broiled salmon one of her friends ordered. When fish and seafood is your specialty, you should at least serve it properly cooked, not overcooked which is the easiest way to ruin it. The waiter promised bread, but for some reason wasn't able to deliver it until after we'd finished our entrees. On the plus side, we had a reasonably quiet booth where we could enjoy a long conversation. Overall a very mediocre experience and reinforced my avoidance of chain restaurants.

Great food and staff were awesome

We had a server who looked like she hated working there. She had no smile, didn’t apologize when the kitchen made a mistake on my dish and we had to wait another 30 minutes to receive my meal. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.