Woman orders salmon bowl from Red Lobster. Then she opens up the to-go container: ‘I was sad but had to stop going’
A loved one treating you to a takeout meal should be a highlight of your day. However, it can easily ruin it if your food doesn’t meet your expectations. This happened to one woman after she opened her Red Lobster Sesame-Soy Salmon Bowl. The sight had her enraged.
The 15-second clip uploaded by TikTok creator Liezle Krisher (@liezlelcadayday) paints the scene in the text overlay: “Red Lobster, do feakin better,” followed by a red angry face emoji.
Initially, the giant to-go container on her table seems innocuous. “So, my mom ordered from Red Lobster,” she says. “Look how dirty they are.”
When she pulls back the lid, she shows what’s causing her frustration. Online, the bowl is a photo advertisement that contains a large soy-ginger-glazed Atlantic salmon loaded with crispy Brussels sprouts, orzo rice, spring mix, and crispy onions.
Instead, what the content creator received is underwhelming: a tiny slice of salmon, a small handful of spring mix, and scattered Brussels sprouts. Even the rice and onions are missing.
“Where’s the salad?” Krishner asks, annoyed. “What the heck, Red Lobster?”
She continues to blast them in the caption, writing, “Red lobster needs to do better. This portion is awful… With the big container, really??? There’s barely anything on here.”
As of now, Krishner added in the comments section that she and her family “won’t be ordering from them for a long time.”
Viewers Echo Her Feelings
Krishner’s video garnered over 106,000 views, and many in the comments section blew the whistle on their experiences that had them swearing off the restaurant chain for good.
“My last 2 visits were this bad. I was sad but had to stop going,” one viewer revealed.
“Their food as of rn is straight robbery. So sad that I won’t be going there ever again. It was a family favorite of mine for years,” another commented.
“I stopped ordering to go from there because they always do this,” a third shared. “I tried 2 times, no more.”
“Their shrimp scampi has gotten really bad lately. I used to love to go there to eat shrimp scampi last few times that I went. It wasn’t worth it,” a fourth recalled.
What Is Going On With Red Lobster?
Red Lobster has been the jewel of the sea among seafood restaurants for budget-friendly customers since it opened its doors in 1958. This slowly started to change in 2014 when private equity firm Golden Gate Capital bought the restaurant chain for $2.1 billion. While private equity’s goal is to revamp companies to turn over a profit, it has garnered a less-than-ideal reputation with social media users for allegedly altering everything it touches.
Take Jersey Mike’s as an example. Consumers noticed the sandwich shop’s sub portion decrease and blamed it on Blackstone. Moreover, RSE Ventures has been singled out for Magnolia Bakery’s decline in flavor. Indeed, Red Lobster’s acquisition came with a price. For starters, the astronomical rent on stores it had previously owned accounted for 10% of its revenue, according to NBC. However, it doesn’t stop there.
In 2020, Golden Gate Capital sold the company to global seafood supplier and majority shareholder, Thai Union, which played a major role in its demise. Remember the $20 Endless Shrimp debacle to make it a permanent menu item in 2023? They were allegedly blamed for abandoning Red Lobster in 2024 to drown in debt.
Eventually, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the same year until RL Investor Holdings LLC, created by Fortess Investment Group LLC, tossed a life vest and rescued the company from shuttering its doors. That same year, Red Lobster GUC Trust was formed on behalf of its creditors, which filed a lawsuit against the former owner in May for monetary damages, per the New York Post.
@liezlelcadayday Red lobster needs to do better. This portion is awful… With the big container, really??? There's barely anything on here.?♀️
♬ original sound – Liezle Krisher
The Mary Sue reached out to Krishner via email and TikTok comment as well as Red Lobster via press email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
