Curbside pickup has become an increasingly popular option for busy people who want to enjoy restaurant-quality meals without the hassle of dining in. Red Lobster, the beloved seafood chain, offers a convenient curbside pickup service. But how exactly does it work? In this detailed guide, we’ll walk through the entire Red Lobster curbside pickup process step-by-step.
Placing Your Curbside Order
The first step is to place your Red Lobster order for curbside pickup. You have two options for doing this:
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Online Visit Red Lobster’s website or use their mobile app to browse the menu and select your items Make sure to choose the “Curbside Pickup” option during checkout
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By Phone: Call your local Red Lobster restaurant directly and place your order over the phone. Let them know it’s for curbside pickup.
When placing your order, you’ll select a future pickup time. Red Lobster aims to have orders ready within 15-20 minutes of the pickup time you chose.
Arriving at the Restaurant
Once you arrive at the Red Lobster location for pickup, park in one of the designated curbside pickup spots. These are usually marked with signage. If you don’t see designated curbside parking just park close to the front entrance.
Before getting out of your car, double check that you have:
- Your order number
- The name used for the order
- Your payment method ready if you haven’t pre-paid
Notifying the Restaurant
Here’s where the process can vary slightly depending on the Red Lobster location:
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Some restaurants have signs asking you to call on arrival. If so, call the provided number and give them your order details.
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Others will have you notify them through the Red Lobster app instead.
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If unclear, it never hurts to give the restaurant a quick call when you’ve arrived. Just let them know you’re here for a curbside pickup order.
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No matter how you notify them, have your order number and name handy for confirmation
Waiting for Pickup
After notifying the restaurant of your arrival, it’s time to sit back and wait for your food! The Red Lobster team will prepare everything carefully, making sure it’s packaged well and ready for travel.
Expect to wait approximately 5-10 minutes depending on order size and restaurant busyness. If you’re waiting longer than 15 minutes, pop inside or give them a call to double check on the status.
Picking Up Your Order
When your order is ready, a Red Lobster team member will bring everything out to your vehicle. Here’s how the hand-off will happen:
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They will verify your order number or name before handing you the food.
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Bagged food items will be placed in your backseat or trunk to minimize contact.
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For larger orders, they may ask you to pop the trunk so they can load everything in.
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Drinks will be placed in cupholders or held out for you to grab.
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Don’t forget to take any condiments, napkins, or utensils included with your order!
Paying for Your Order
There are two payment options for Red Lobster curbside pickup:
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Pre-pay online when placing your order. This lets you grab your food and go!
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Pay on pickup using credit card, debit, or cash. The team member will process your payment and provide a receipt before you drive away.
And that’s it – you’ve completed the Red Lobster curbside pickup process! Now you can rush home or to the office and indulge in those crave-worthy seafood dishes.
Tips for a Seamless Curbside Experience
To ensure your Red Lobster curbside pickup goes smoothly, keep these tips in mind:
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Arrive at the scheduled time. Food sitting for too long loses quality.
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Park in designated curbside spots when possible. This makes you easier to spot.
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Have your order details handy to provide to staff. Don’t make them hunt down your order.
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Let the restaurant know if you’re running late or early. They can adjust food prep accordingly.
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Don’t hesitate to call the restaurant if you’ve been waiting for a while. A friendly check-in never hurts!
Advantages of Curbside Pickup
Why choose curbside over standard takeout or delivery? Here are some excellent benefits:
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Convenience: Skip waiting in line and enjoy the ease of curbside.
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Time savings: Food brought to your car is faster than parking and going inside.
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Quality: Food travels mere feet from kitchen to car, avoiding a steaming bag.
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Safety: Contactless hand-off minimizes virus spread.
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Comfort: Stay in your car away from crowds and wait areas.
For busy families, curbside pickup can be a total game-changer!
Is Curbside Pickup Available at All Locations?
While most Red Lobster restaurants offer curbside pickup, some may not. Before heading to a location, double check that they offer curbside pickup. You can:
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Call the restaurant directly and ask. This is the most reliable method.
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Check the Red Lobster website or app. Some note if pickup is unavailable at a particular spot.
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Look for curbside parking signage in the lot when you arrive. No signs typically means no service.
If curbside pickup isn’t offered, you can still place a takeout order and grab it inside. The restaurant will have it packaged and ready to take home.
Ordering Alcohol Through Curbside Pickup
Because of state and local liquor laws, not all Red Lobster locations allow alcohol orders for curbside pickup. Policies can even vary within the same state.
If you want wine, beer, or cocktails with your meal, call ahead to ask if the restaurant can fulfill alcohol orders for curbside pickup. Don’t assume it’s allowed.
Be prepared to show your ID when picking up alcohol orders. Some states require ID checks for all curbside liquor purchases.
Modifying Your Order for Curbside
One great perk of ordering curbside through Red Lobster is that you can customize your meal exactly how you want it! Here are some easy ways to modify your order:
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Request dishes be prepared grilled instead of fried.
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Ask for dressing, sauce, or seasoning on the side.
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Substitute side dishes like fries for veggies.
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Swap in gluten-free or low carb options.
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Remove ingredients you want to avoid.
Red Lobster aims to accommodate any reasonable custom order requests. Just make modifications clear when first placing your curbside order.
Handling Issues with Curbside Orders
Mistakes can occasionally happen, even with a usually reliable curbside service like Red Lobster. Here’s what to do if your curbside order has an issue:
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Missing items: Check bags and boxes closely before driving away. Notify the restaurant immediately if anything is missing.
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Incorrect order: Don’t consume the wrong food since they’ll need to see it. Alert staff right away to get the correct dishes.
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Quality/temperature issues: If food seems improperly prepared or cooled off, request a remake or refund.
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Damaged packaging: Ask for replacement containers or bags if yours are overly soggy or crushed.
Don’t hesitate to bring any problems to the restaurant staff’s attention. Red Lobster aims to make all curbside orders right.
Why Red Lobster Stands Out
When it comes to curbside pickup, Red Lobster offers excellent execution you can count on. Here’s what makes them stand out:
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Efficiency: Staff work quickly to get orders out within targeted time frames.
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Quality: Food stays hot and crisp since it travels straight from kitchen to car.
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Great packaging: Meals are carefully packed to avoid tipping or spilling in transit.
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Order accuracy: Mistakes are rare thanks to rigorous order checking.
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Friendly service: Staff are happy to answer questions and resolve any issues.
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Safety focus: Contactless hand-off and sanitization procedures minimize risks.
Red Lobster hits the mark on all fronts with their curbside pickup service.
Satisfy Your Cravings Without the Fuss
Now that you know the ins and outs of how Red Lobster curbside pickup works, satisfy your seafood cravings without any dine-in hassle. Just drive up, grab your food, and feast on favorites like lobster bisque, Cheddar Bay biscuits, and jumbo shrimp in the comfort of home. With proper planning and expectations, your pickup experience will be seamless. Never again should you have to choose between great food and convenience – Red Lobster curbside pickup lets you enjoy both!
How Does Curbside Pickup Work?
Sadly, the reality is many curbside pickup experiences are far less convenient, with guests needing to call, text, or more commonly go inside the store to alert staff of their arrival. How restaurants and retailers implement curbside makes all the difference for consumers. Restaurants
Timeliness is everything for curbside pickup at restaurants since no one wants soggy fries or melted ice cream. Here are three typical approaches to curbside for restaurants:
- Timing the order: Many restaurants use specific pickup times (11:25 am) or pickup windows (12:00-12:20 pm) to help ensure guests arrive when their order is ready. This places the challenge on the customer to order at just the right time so it’s ready when they arrive at the restaurant.
- Notifying staff on arrival: Guests are tasked with notifying staff via text, calling, or pressing the “I’m here” button in an email or app once they arrive at the restaurant. In this approach, restaurants wait to prepare the food until the customer has already arrived (“I’m here, prepare my order”), but this leaves the customer waiting when the whole point of order for pickup is to quickly grab and go.
- Handing off the order: Customers wait in the parking lot until the staff brings out their order. Sometimes staff will put the order in an exterior “pickup station” which requires the customer to get out of their car and locate the correct order. Other times, the restaurant will ask for car details (make/model/color/license) so a staff member can bring the order directly to the car.
Retailers (Grocers, Big Box, and Brands)
Curbside for retailers is all about operational efficiencies to ensure orders are packed and ready on customer arrival. Grocers have the added challenge of ensuring certain items are kept cold.
- Prioritizing orders: Retailers typically either provide a pickup window (2-4pm) for same-day pickup or offer next day (or week depending on availability) pickup and notify the customer once the order is ready. This first-order-placed-first-order-filled process puts the responsibility on customers to ensure they order far enough in advance to get the order when they need it (especially for groceries). Plus, customers must ensure they have availability during the specified window. While willfully inconvenient for the consumer, some stores will set quotas for certain pickup windows to manage the volume of orders for pick and pack. This leads to consumers fighting for less-than-ideal time slots on any given day.
- Alerting staff on customer arrival: Generally, customers must notify the store when they’ve arrived and what curbside parking spot they’re in (#3) via text, phone call, or possibly in the app. For larger big-box retailers, a staff member may be stationed by the curbside pickup zone with a tablet in hand to verify and match pickup orders to customers. This is still a manual process for staff members and sometimes requires customers to get out of their cars to walk over to the curbside station or worse, walk into the store.
- Handing off the order: Assuming customers have arrived within their allotted window and the order is filled, staff locates the order (e.g. pantry goods plus cold items) and brings it out to the respective curbside spot.
– John R. Furner President & Chief Executive Officer-Walmart Walmart, Inc Q2 2020 Earnings Call Consumers
What is Curbside Pickup?
In its basic form, curbside pickup is placing an order online — via web or mobile — and then driving to the store to pick it up. Sometimes this means parking, going inside the store, and waiting in a “mobile order” or “online order” queue. Other times, curbside pickup might mean walking up to an outdoor locker, table, or tent where staff verifies your order before handing it to you.
Red Lobster Family Meal Deal Curbside Pickup
FAQ
How does the curbside pickup work?
Curbside pickup service is when retailers allow customers to place an online order for pick up at a local store. When the order is ready, the consumer parks in a designated area near the store or pickup location, and a store associate brings the curbside pickup order out to the consumer’s vehicle.
Does Red Lobster curbside come with biscuits?
All entrées come with two warm, house-made Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Not enough? Order extra here.
Is Red Lobster owned by Olive Garden?
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Historical Connection:Red Lobster and Olive Garden were both founded by Bill Darden and were once part of Darden Restaurants, which also owns other restaurant chains like Longhorn Steakhouse.
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Separation:Darden Restaurants sold Red Lobster to Golden Gate Capital in 2014. This separation allowed Darden to focus on its other brands, including Olive Garden.
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Current Ownership:Red Lobster is now owned by a different company, with Thai Union Group being the largest shareholder.
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Olive Garden’s Current Status:Olive Garden remains a flagship brand of Darden Restaurants.