I have to know what happened between 10 and 11 pm at this Red Lobster to cause such an absurd rule.
All content has been edited for clarity.
No Re-Entry
“I was at a Red Lobster with my girlfriend once.
This place closes at 11 pm during the week, but they lock the door at 10 pm. A cop chills by the door to make sure no one enters, but everyone can leave.
I was unaware of the early lockup time.
So I got an important phone call at about 10:15 p.m., JUST as our food came to the table. Me, without a coat in the cold New York winter, got up from the table and took it outside. There were a lot of people leaving as I was doing this.
I was unable to see the sign that said ‘No re-entry past 10’ because people were chatting with the cop, blocking the sign as I walked out, coatless, on my phone.
After I was done with the call, I went back in. Oh wait – no, I didn’t. The door was locked and the cop explained to me that there was no re-entry. I told him that I had a full plate of food and that his friends were blocking the sign. He was a total prick.
So I called my girlfriend, slipped her my card through the crack in the door to pay for the food and I told her I’d break up with her if she left any tip. The server was unwilling to try to get me back inside after she knew what happened. She told my girlfriend that I shouldn’t have gone outside to take the call.
I called Red Lobster that night and demanded a refund, and of course, due to the service and the night being ruined, I demanded about $20 over my bill.
About three weeks later, I got a bunch of gift certificates in the mail. I will never return to that Red Lobster. I spent them at a MUCH better Red Lobster, where our service was exquisite. I tipped 20%.”
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