My Mom and I have recently been talking about this because now it is Lent. I have reminded her that from 1996 to 2000, it was my job to hold the reservation at Red Lobster. Let me explain:
My family would go to Red Lobster during lent for my birthday for seafood because meat was not supposed to be eaten on Friday and we are Catholic. A couple things to note here: 1. Between the years 1996 to 2000, Lent was during my Birthday Month. I didn’t have a “Birthday Month” back then but I just want to say that it was a IRTHDAY dinner for ME. 2. Red Lobster does not accept reservations for large groups without someone waiting in the waiting area to hold the place.
Back then, I would have to make a reservation for 12 people by checking in at the hostess desk. Now, my immediate family is 22 people and my Dad is gone. Was the only one still in high school so I didn’t have a job to go to so that is how my Mom explained it to me. I’m pretty sure that my Mom dropped me off to wait at the restaurant my freshman year but in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, I drove myself to wait.
Some thing that I want to point out here is that I do not like seafood at all! I would always order a clam chowder and fill up on shrimp and biscuits. When I was in high school, I always preferred to have my birthday dinner at Wendy’s. But, it was Lent so that was NOT an option! It took about an hour for them to get enough tables cleared to accommodate my party of 12. I sat there staring at the lobster tank for that entire hour!!:
My family members would start to arrive after I had been waiting by myself for about 45 minutes. I would tell them all the time that we all could eat at Wendy’s for about 20 bucks. But for me now, even with all of my complaining and my wait by myself for an hour, we made some really great family memories there!
The last time we went there as a family was when we went there with my Dad‘s friend at work after his death. Sean took me there for Mother’s Day when he was 16 and that hit a little differently.