This post was sponsored by Red Lobster. All views and text are mine.
True confession: I love food. I love to eat them and I love making them. So I was naturally ecstatic when I was invited to tour and dine in at the newly renovated Red Lobster restaurant in their Manassas, Virginia location (7505 Broken Branch Lane). Not only do I love seafood, but Red Lobster is also one of my family’s top favorite restaurants to go to! 🙂
Our Restaurant Tour
Opened on March 1, 1993, the Red Lobster in Manassas has been a staple in the community and I learned that most of the team members grew up in Manassas and are active members of the community.
I brought along my husband and stepson during my visit at the Red Lobster in Manassas and we were warmly welcomed by Jesse Green, the General Manager of this location. Jesse gave us a tour of the completely renovated restaurant and we were impressed by the massive changes. We have been to this restaurant many times before and the whole new setup and overall ambience were nothing like before.
“Having the first fully redesigned Red Lobster test right here in Manassas is a testament to our strong team, and more importantly, the strong community in which we operate. We’re excited to invite guests to come re-experience Red Lobster – our regulars who we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the years, those who share their special celebrations with us, and those who maybe haven’t dined with us in some time”, said Jesse Green.
I also learned that when developing the prototype, Red Lobster conducted extensive consumer research to learn what guests value the most when dining out. Guests shared that they wanted a variety of ways to enjoy the dining experience – from big celebrations to date night to a Monday night family dinner or quick takeout. Red Lobster in Manassas is designed to address these guest needs through updated features.
The Lobby offers a welcoming entry point featuring a nautical star and comfortable waiting area. You’ll notice a new digital chalkboard which has information on current events and menu offerings like Today’s Fresh Fish.
While you wait, you can take a look in the live lobster tanks.
There is also a new, more convenient location for picking up to-go orders.
The contemporized bar area features lounge-style seating and community tables – which are great for enjoying drinks, appetizers or tasting plates. More TVs have been added to the bar area for game-watching and hanging out and there is also an even wider selection of beer on tap.
There are multiple dining areas with flexible seating to accommodate both large and small groups and are refreshed with new paint and finishes, nautical touches, and modern tile floors.
Did you know? Some fun facts about Red Lobster
- The temperature of the tanks is kept between 37-41° to keep the lobsters healthy
- Lobsters are right and left-handed
- The lobster on the Red Lobster logo has a name … Clawd!
- The shutters in the dining room at the newly renovated Red Lobster Manassas can close to make it a private space for special events
- Red Lobster will be collecting guest and team member feedback on the changes in Manassas to inform additional restaurant tests in the future
Our Dining Experience
We love dining at Red Lobster in Manassas. The food and drinks are just amazing and the service is great. We always leave happy and satisfied. The night of September 8th, 2017 was no different.
For a refreshing start to the evening, I had their new mojito-flavored cocktail drink called Berry Mo-Tito– a yummy concoction of lime, sugar, mint, Tito’s vodka, sweet berry purée and fresh blackberries. I love it!
Besides their yummy cheesy biscuits (my favorite!) for starters, we also ordered from their “Tasting Plates” section of the menu.
These are like small plates of yummy appetizers- each had distinct flavoring of its own. We thought we’d order a combination of vegetables, seafood and a little bread thrown in. Yummm! Everything was superb!
For our mains, I had the Thai-Style Seafood Bowl from their new “Globally Inspired” menu. Did I tell you? My husband and I love Thai food and when I saw this, I just have to try it! This seafood bowl has all the stuff I love- shrimp, bay scallops, mussels and fresh tilapia sauteed in coconut-ginger broth with mixed vegetables.
A scoop of rice on the side and a touch of sambal sauce adds a kick. Oh, yeah!
My husband had the blackened salmon with grilled asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes topped with chopped pecans and melted butter. He was still raving about his meal long after we left the restaurant. He said, ” My whole meal was insanely good!”. 😉
Jordan had the Shrimp Linguini Alfredo and he too, enjoyed his meal.
Overall, we had such a wonderful dining experience at the newly renovated Red Lobster in Manassas. The tour of the restaurant was a bonus treat to a great evening of amazing food and warm bonding with two of the most special people in my life! 🙂
So if you love Red Lobster, check out the impressive, fresh new look of their restaurant in Manassas while enjoying great food and a variety of refreshing beverages and cocktails!
Red Lobster has gotten a bit fancy. I’ve not been inside of one in many years. There is one 2 minutes from my home but it is always packed so I never go. The Berry Mo-Tito looks amazing.
OH WOW!!! RED LOBSTER got a HUGE MAKE OVER and looks like a LEGIT dining experience!!! Almost makes me want to try it again even though it gave me extreme food poisoning!
Oh wow, it looks absolutely gorgeous! I love the changes they made to it!
I like the dining areas. The restaurant made it possible to provide comfort to every personality type. I enjoy dining at Red Lobster. Their food is so good, you’d be wanting to come back for more each and every time.
The dining area looks so cozy! I love the ambiance. The food is fantastic too! The Red Lobster restaurant in our area does not look like that.
Oh wow!! That is a HUGE change. I love it. I hope they slowly start to change all of their locations.
Cheesy Biscuits are my favorite too! It’s been awhile since the last time I ate at Red Lobster. I see what I have been missing.
Your tour looks amazing the food and drinks look so yummy. You now have my mouth watering!
Red Lobster is one of our fave casual family restaurants. I love that they’re getting a makeover and I really love the new look. Can’t wait to try the new offerings
We love eating at Red Lobster! That must have been cool to take a tour of the restaurant! I love that they have a Take Out area.
Red Lobster is a great restaurant. I love their cheddar biscuits. I would love to visit this location. I will have to place on my list of must-see places. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Oh fun this is really great. This has always been a fun one for us.
It looks like you had an amazing time there! Red Lobster has always been a lovely restaurant to eat at. The food looks SO good!
Love the new look. I know the one near us could use some update but I have heard it will be soon. Either way… as long as the food is good I am still there to eat it.
I need to get to Red Lobster! I love their menu, and I haven’t been in a while. I would love to try the Berry Mo-tito. That sounds so amazing!
This Red Lobster looks amazing, I haven’t been to one but should probably go. I am going to share with my friends online who would love to check this Virginia location out.
The food looks amazing there! I think it’s such a nice place to grab some dinner when you’re the family or with friends. It’s awesome to know that you enjoyed the food.
I have not dined at our local Red Lobster in ages but this makes me want to go there this weekend! The new design of this location is very lovely!
Red Lobster is one of my favourite restaurants! They have really stepped up the design in their restaurants. I love the new look. The food looks as tasty as ever!
This food looks really fresh and tasty. I love seafood, and this looks especially tasty about now. I need to check out my Red Lobster.
Wow, when they say revamped they mean it. It looks so chic now!
Whoa! Red Lobster’s gone all fancy and sophisticated! I love the new look. I hope the biscuits recipe hasn’t changed tho! It’s my fave.
Wow, that’s a nice Red Lobster! Ours here, and this may just be because I live along the Gulf Coast, and fresh seafood restaurants are on every corner, but our Red Lobster isn’t that nice inside.
Wow. This restaurant is looking awesome and the food is looking delicious. Nice place.
Nice! I love when they renovate restaurants, I am always the first to go check it out because I KNOW it’s gonna be clean (I used to work in restaurant kitchens so I kinda know what goes on – like a little too much!). One thing tho, I have NEVER been to Red Lobster! Your photos are making me want to go!
What a lovely looking place to dine, I am loving the look of the salmon and asparagus, it looks like such a delicious dish.
It looks like Red Lobster is making a push to be an even more fine dining atmosphere. I love that they’re making it more classy but still keeping low key enough for the whole family to come.
Holy moly! I love Red Lobster, don’t get me wrong. But I have NEVER seen a Red Lobster than amazing before. I love what they’re doing!
Oh wow! I would not have know that was a Red Lobster if I hadn’t read it. They’ve really upped their game. It’s fancy!
Dang! They upped their game! Looks absolutely beautiful and I love the modern feel. I have to be in the mood for seafood, but always love a yummy lobster or shrimp meal 🙂