Summary: I usually rank my restaurant experiences based on Quality, Quantity, Consistency. Quality (2 stars); Quantity (3 stars); and Consistency (1 star). I have spent over $1,000 at this establishment with enough data to accurately comment on their product. As for customer service, they need improvement. I've only dealt with them online and the response time is slow. They do not answer the phone. Below are my experiences with them:
First time: Spent almost $300 and ordered XL/Jumbo crabs. It was delivered to my house for $8. The crabs were excellent! They were a nice size and very flavorful. They had earned five stars and was on my list as one of my "go to" establishments for crabs.
Second time: Spent almost $300 and ordered the same. The crabs were smaller ranging from L to XL. Still flavorful, but there was a big change in the size. Also, there were several that were too mushy to eat. Reported the mushy issue and they provided a few extras on my next order.
Third time: Spent almost $300 and ordered XL because there doesn't seem to be a big difference between their XL and jumbos. The crabs received this time ranged from M-L with some XL thrown in. Now here is where the product really began to spiral downward. Eighty (80%) of the crabs were so light and filled with water.
Fourth time: Determined that I wanted to support these two young ladies, I decided to try them again and purchased the snow crab legs for ~$160. The snow crab legs were decent. They are seasoned in a lot of garlic, so consider if this will suit your taste buds.
Fifth time: Encouraged by the quality of the snow crabs, I second guessed myself about the crabs and order yet another $300 worth of XL crabs. They arrived with very little claws. Hmm, perhaps they broke off in the pot, I said to myself. Uh-oh, the sizes ranged from M to XL and they are light again. This is no exaggeration. I am talking about absolutely NO WEIGHT! Disappointed again, I decided to never buy crabs from them again. I will only buy snow crab legs, if I want delivery.
Sixth and final time for crabs: My sister who loves crabs really wanted some, so I broke down and ordered ~$300 of XL crabs. R&L did not disappoint! They delivered their subpar M-L crabs with some XL thrown in. I could count on one hand how many claws I received. So, I'm pretty sure that they are taking the claws off and selling them. You can not buy two and three dozen of crabs with five claws. The males were meaty and the females were like my fifth experience--no weight with very little meat.
To the owners: I see you are opening a new store in Columbia. Congratulations! If you plan to brand yourself as a good crab establishment in DMV area, here are few recommendations: (1) sell your light crabs as a special at a lower price--people will buy them; (2) stop taking off the claws--takes away from product quality; (3) leverage technology and connect more in real-time with your customers-- get someone with charisma to answer your phone--enhances your quality in customer service; and (4) continue to listen to your customers to incrementally make changes to improve on quality and consistency in your market. read more