7540 Transit Rd, Williamsville, NY 14221
Web: Red Lobster
Phone: 716.634.9195
Rating:
[learn more]Pros:
Especially strong biscuits add to a seafood-heavy menu that is decent on lunch and dinner pricing, including soups, appetizers, and entrees that will appeal to all but picky diners.
Cons:
Small seafood portion sizes are fairly consistent on entrees, with carb-heavy offsets such as biscuits and fries used as fillers. Order extra or plan to eat a little light.
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"Five or six years ago, we had pretty much given up on the idea of eating at a Red Lobster, but today, we consider it a viable alternative to other local seafood restaurants."
Perhaps because Western New York has historically seen great things from small restaurants, some of the area's locals have taken perverse pleasure in bashing - or just ignoring - larger ones run by national chains. Over the course of our travels, we've come to realize that while chains should never be allowed to replace indigenous dining options, they're occasionally really impressive, and even when they're not, they can at least attempt to fulfill a need that home-grown restaurants might miss. As casual observers, we felt as if the once-exciting seafood chain Red Lobster - owned for years by General Mills, alongside Olive Garden - was struggling for a while to figure out whether it was going to be complacent with mediocrity, offering plates of third-rate shrimp to budget-crunched families, or whether it would recover some of its past glory and re-establish itself as a cozy, middle class seafood house. A recent visit thankfully suggests the latter, as we walked out of Red Lobster feeling generally well-fed at a reasonable price, though the meal wasn't perfect.
The Story: We'll dispense with any extended discussion of Red Lobster's corporate heritage, beyond to note that its parent company, General Mills spin-off Darden Restaurants, is "the world’s largest company-owned and operated full-service restaurant company," operating six different restaurant brands and trading publicly on the New York Stock Exchange. You probably haven't heard of most of those brands, or of ones Darden has tried and closed or sold, such as an Americanized Chinese restaurant chain called China Coast or barbecue shops called Smokey Bones. It suffices to say that Red Lobster and Olive Garden are the company's big names, but that it seems to get distracted from improving them in favor of trying other concepts.
Consequently, walking into one of Western New York's three Red Lobster locations today is much the same as it was 20 years ago - the rustic nautical decor and carpeting haven't changed visibly, there's still a lobster tank up front in a waiting area to let kids dream about selecting their meals, and the dining rooms have a sort of generically comfortable 1980's look and feel. The mix of menu offerings appears to have been tailored to two types of budgets: those with $10-15 to spend on an entire meal, and patrons who would consider spending as much on an entree alone.
At lunch, you can now get an Olive Garden-style endless soup and shrimp garden salad ($6.75) with a pick of chowder or gumbo; similarly, a Create Your Own Lunch option ($9) gives you a pick of two shrimp, scallop, clam, fish or chicken items, mostly fried, plus complementary biscuits - more on those in a moment. Dedicated seafood entrees start at $14 and work their way up to $30 as you consider options such as King Crab Legs and Lobster, items that we're inclined to skip here in favor of supermarket purchases and home broiling; a lone chicken breast option falls under the range at $11.50.
Highs: Part of the surprise of a modern Red Lobster meal is that you can walk out feeling pretty well-fed even if you stick to the cheap stuff, though you'll definitely notice the difference in quality and quantity of fish at lower prices. Just to see how we could dine for under $10, we ordered the Create Your Own Lunch option and picked the Broiled Bay Scallops and Garlic Shrimp Scampi as our two items. An attractive plate - not unlike the menu pictures - was delivered with two separate dishes, one with seven shrimp, the other with perhaps 25 scallops, both in a tasty, predictable butter and garlic sauce. Mildly seasoned french fries, a lemon, and some ketchup were included as sides.
The good news? The shrimp and scallops tasted quite good. The bad news? We were finished with them after perhaps 5 minutes. Between the tiny scallops and the few pieces of shrimp, Red Lobster wasn't exactly generous on the portion sizes. But then, each of those two small dishes was fair for $4.50 a piece, especially considering the sides. While the french fries were good, it's the Cheddar Bay Biscuits - unrepentantly unhealthy, loaded with cheddar, butter, and garlic flavor - that basically guaranteed that we wouldn't leave hungry. Always served warm in little towel-wrapped baskets, these Biscuits come with every meal, and the extras from our second basket surprisingly accompanied us out the door as leftovers. Even reheated, they were delicious, offering an at-home reminder of a good reason to pay Red Lobster another visit.
We were also pleased by the Bayou Seafood Gumbo ($4-$5), which though not a standout delivered an enjoyable rendition of the classic spicy brown Louisiana seafood, sausage and rice soup. Ordered just to see how it was, we'd consider making a lunchtime meal of this and the salad.
Lows: Our only major disappointment with the meal was the lunch portion of Mahi-Mahi ($10), which as you can see from the photograph here was almost comically small on a plate loaded up with french fries and broccoli. As with the shrimp and scallop dishes, the quantity of seafood wasn't generous, but the balance here was so off-kilter that it's hard to imagine a plate like this satisfying anyone as a meal. The quality of the fish was acceptable, but any portion of fish that can be finished in four bites might not be worth serving as a complete entree in the first place.
Ultimately, and thanks at least as much to rising food prices as a desire to keep its menu options affordable, Red Lobster does burden the customer a little to ask questions about portion size prior to placing what could be a disappointing order. While the menu photos are more accurate now than they might have been in the past, you'd be well-advised to ask for and understand the portion sizes prior to ordering certain un-photographed items, such as the market-priced fresh fish.
The Verdict: Five or six years ago, we had pretty much given up on the idea of eating at a Red Lobster, but today, we consider it a viable alternative to other local seafood restaurants. Thanks in part to the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, as well as affordable add-on options, it's possible to actually feel sated by a budget-priced seafood lunch or dinner here - even if you're benefitting as much or more from carbs as from protein. Though this wouldn't be the first place on our lists for a pricey lobster or crab dinner, those options - and plenty of others - are welcome items at a chain that has successfully figured out how to cater to differing tastes and pocketbooks.
