Bad Fish at Red Lobster

Everyone has a bad experience with a restaurant one time or another
but I was really mad at Red Lobster last Sunday in Orlando, Fl. Four
of us girls went for dinner. We were seated in a both near the bar
area. It looked like renovations were being done but that didn't
bother us we were there for the food. We gave our order and received
our drinks. About 3 minutes later like I was being spit on. I told my
friend to stop spitting on me and she said she wasn't but she felt it
to. About that time my other friend sitting across from me screamed
not once but twice. Here the water was coming down on her in cupfulls
on her back. The manager came over and asked if we would like to move.
OF COURSE, we wanted to move. So we moved to another table and our
food was brought out. I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu
because I like lobster and crab legs. My lobster turned out to be
fish and lobster in little pieces stuffed back in the shell. I asked
the manager and she said it was lobster but it might have been old.
Why would you serve something that was old to a customer? I told her
I have eaten lobster all my life and that was not lobster. She gave
me a replacement and it was perfect. Last straw was when I ate my
shrimp scampi and found a 5 inch black hair that was from an Afro
American person and everyone I was with was not of that race. The
manager then said that it couldn't come from their cooks because they
wear hairnets and caps. Now, I did not go and pull a piece of hair
out of someones head and plant it in my scampi. My meal was not the
only one that was ruined but the best they could do was 25% off our
meals. How demeaning was that. I should of went around and showed
everyone the hair in my meal. That would of been real tasty don't you
think.

OK, two things:

1. Most fish sandwiches are made from Cod or some similar fish. Cod
usually has more of that "fishy" taste.

2. You were eating Clam chowder at the time, and I know from
experience that the aftertaste from a spoonful of chowder can cast a
"fishy" taste on the other food you are eating. Heck, once a guy two
tables over was eating a salmon steak, and the smell of that was
changing my perceived taste of my entire meal.

I will say that the last time I got sick from actual bad fish, there
was no question about it and the effect was almost immediate.

The fish tasted fishy?

Who'da thunk it?

Why didn't you call the manager regarding this? What if you could
have prevented other people getting a food-borne illness?

An email to the company headquarters isn't gonna cut it.

Even if you did think you got sick from the fish . . . why wouldn't
you just call the restaurant and let them know? And if the sandwich
didn't taste right to you . ..why didn't you return it?

Something "fishy" about this letter

Sounds Bad....

I'd have brought up the issue at first sniff/taste. Politely call the
server over...perhaps graze on the biscuits or salad or soup or
appetizers while waiting... if the answer isn't good..then bring it up
to the manager...or ask for suggestions on something more mild...order
that instead. A minor adjustment to the check, a good dining
experience...and everyone's happy.
Food poisoning is mentioned in another response...very informative to
read....Unless you went to the E.R. and they tested and proved that
the culture confirmed what the strain of food poisoning was and if
fish is at all a possibility and if it could develop in that time
frame...
anyway Good Luck with getting a full refund for the full meal when
only the fish sandwich was the percieved issue, and later blamed for a
possible mild case of stomach flu.

I believe you but I think you should have also detected a fishy odor
and after one taste be done with it and tell the waitstaff
immediately. I think seafood is one of those things that goes fast.
I don't know how much you actually ate but in my experience if it
tastes funny I will no longer trust it because if you do get something
that is carrying a little too much extra bacteria then you pay later
and the next day. Been there a few times! You should have told them
while you were there.

fish is supposed to taste fishy.

I smell something very fishy about this letter.

Shenenigans

Red Lobster doesnt have a "fish sandwich"

I though I never remembered seeing one, but I just checked the online
menu and none was mentioned.

I think this is a fake.

Here is a link to some info on food poisoning
http://www.thomas.edu/stuaff/healthcenternutrition.htm#Food_Poisoning_


A quick summary for those that dont want to open another window:

How Quickly Does Food Poisoning Start and How Long Does it Last?

Food poisoning symptoms can begin as quickly as four hours or as long
as 24 hours after eating contaminated food. People who eat the same
contaminated food, say at a picnic or barbecue, will usually get sick
about the same time. Symptoms can last three to four days or longer if
you unknowingly continue to eat contaminated food.

So, to sum it up, it was too soon after you ate the food for it to be
the fish. Since you didnt even finish it, I doubt you ate enough for
it to kick in that quickly. If it was the fish, there would be
several cases and it would have most likely made the news. You would
need proof from your doctor that it was in fact food poisoning, that
it came from the fish, and that you hadnt been exposed to any other
"bugs" in the last 24-48 hours. Believe it or not, resturants have a
health code that they have to abide by, most are very clean. It would
be more likely that you caught I stomach bug from a co-worker or
friend, or that the food in your own kitchen made you sick.

You dont mention what kind of fish sandwich it was, so I dont know if
it is supposed to be a "fishy fish". If you are unhappy with your
meal, then it is okay to tell the wait staff or manager. They would
have replaced it or taken it off your check. This could have been
solved at the location.

"When I first tasted the fish it Tasted very very fishy."

The fish tasted fishy? Huh, imagine that.