Now that I will be coming to Toronto a few times a year for family reasons, one of my first scouting missions involved finding the closest Red Lobster location from where we were staying. Only a few blocks away, on downtown Bay Street, was one of the largest Red Lobster locations I have ever seen. In fact, it seats over 260 people.
Let me first commend the excellent customer service provided by Director of Operations Sergio Torres, General Manager Senthuran Thevabalan and Restaurant Manager Azaria Thompson. Over the previous four years, my Red Lobster fix was well taken care of via trips to Ottawa.
Last year, Red Lobster came out of bankruptcy protection and had to close several locations in the United States. The chain is present in four Canadian provinces – Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Quebec last saw a Red Lobster some 30 years ago. New ownership has placed Red Lobster back into a good business position.
Our server Ana Maria started us off with some drinks and brought us the always much-anticipated basket of house-made cheddar biscuits. Be careful! They are so delicious, you can fill yourself up pretty quickly.
For appetizers, we opted for cups of piping hot cups of clam chowder and lobster bisque, accompanied by crackers.
As for the main course, I chose the ultimate feast: Maritime lobster tail, garlic shrimp, snow crab legs and Walt’s Favourite Shrimp. It was served with rice. I put on my lobster bib and slowly enjoyed every morsel.
The other members of our party went for a one and a quarter pound lobster, with a side of mashed potatoes and Walt’s Favourite Shrimp. The latter came hand-breaded, butterflied and lightly fried, served with cocktail sauce and a choice of one side. We had a surprise when Ana Maria brought a two-pound lobster to the table. That meant a nice box of leftovers for the following day.
We saved some space for dessert and shared a delicious piece of key lime pie.
The restaurant is completely handicap accessible, with easy street access and all at one very large level.
Being such a booster of the Red Lobster brand, I arranged for a much-coveted virtual meeting with Red Lobster Regional Vice-President of Operations David Harling and Brand Marketing Manager for Canada Angela Tsiampas. I had so many questions about the chain and here was my chance to ask them.
Harling was a manager of the Toronto location we ate at for a number of years. Now he not only oversees the 27 restaurants in Canada, but also others in Michigan, Chicago, Central Pennsylvania and Upstate New York. He told me that since the appointments of Damola Adamolekun and Larry Konecny as CEO and COO, respectively, at Red Lobster, the brand has never been stronger globally. Canada, by the way, was completely unaffected by the turmoil and each of the locations did very well. “We are such an iconic brand that everyone who is a fan of Red Lobster has been rooting for us,” he said.
So what about a return to Quebec? That has been my big question. “At one point, we had 28 restaurants in Canada,” Harling said. “My goal since I started my current position has been to get back to that number and go beyond and Quebec is definitely at the top of my list. I think that market would be very viable for us. There is no question that Red Lobster would thrive again there. We have an internal real estate department and they are constantly looking for opportunities. What we need is a groundswell of support from people there expressing their desire to see Red Lobster back.”
Well, I promised Harling that, as perhaps one of the biggest Red Lobster fans in Quebec, I would do my part. I even have some commercial real estate experts I plan to reach out to.
Red Lobster is indeed the world’s largest and most-loved seafood restaurant company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. With a proud heritage, Red Lobster is focused on serving the highest quality, freshly prepared seafood that is traceable, sustainable, and responsibly sourced.
This Red Lobster is located at 20 Dundas Street West and is open daily from 11 am to 11 pm. For more information, call 416-348-8938 or log on to www.redlobster.ca.