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On Tuesday afternoon, a post appeared on the Facebook page belonging to Red Lobster. It was written by 56-year-old Robert Mills and it explained how frustrated he is that the restaurant chain does not offer any free food items to customers who are celebrating their birthdays, as he was on that day. "Guess I'm just a nobody on my birthday," he wrote.
By Wednesday, a group of Internet users would show him just how wrong he was to think that.
It all began when a BuzzFeed reader alerted the website of Mills' Facebook post on Wednesday. "Red Lobster, give this guy a free meal," proclaimed BuzzFeed editor Matt Stopera. He encouraged people to tweet at Red Lobster and to post on the company's Facebook page in order to "make this happen."
Within a few hours the Red Lobster Facebook page was flooded with messages of "Feed Robert Mills!" and "Lobster for Robster!" Writer Carly Hallam added additional fuel to the campaign with a post on Comedy Central's Tosh.0 blog. "I believe that this is a cause you guys can really get behind," Hallam wrote.
A little bit more time and a lot more Facebook posts and tweets later, Red Lobster responded to the social media campaign. "We hear you loud and clear," a new post on the company's Facebook page exclaimed before explaining that Mills will be getting a "delicious birthday meal" for free.
Mills thanked everyone for their support, BuzzFeed declared the social media campaign a success and everyone lived happily ever after (assuming that Red Lobster did manage to get in touch with Mills, of course).
Though I suppose that Mills would probably be even happier if someone campaigned to get Chevrolet to send him a free car as well:
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Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
Leave a Comment:
Don't want to be a party pooper, but this is the really quite obnoxious. Seem like he could eat free quite well at Red Robin, IHOP and others, SO DO IT.
He lost my sympathies at "get me a car" That just went a little too far for me.
I agree sspark, go to Ihop dude.
What is not said is that this guy makes over $80K per year. Poor is relative. He defines himself as poor, but he makes more than 75% of the country. As others have pointed out (below), he pays for his internet access (broadband), and has a computer. And nice clothes.
This guy is just a freeloader. More of the 'me' generation. His motto is 'gimme'.
Actually, I thought the "while we're at it, I'd like a Camaro too" was the best part! Good sense of humor on that guy, he must keep it in his beard.
Seems more like internet blackmail to me.
What a pathetic, entitled loser. And to add to that red lobster sucks. Except for the cheddar bay biscuits. If they were smart, they would close red lobster and open up a joint called Cheddar Bay, and just sell biscuits!
56 is the new 36, I thought. Of course, that depends on how well you treat your body.
Reading his post in this article ... I don't see why anyone would identify with his ideology. I have a sour taste in my mouth. He seems entitled and whiny. He seems to wallow in self-pity. I don't pity people, that would project an air that I was superior to them in some way. I empathize with people, but not in this context. If apples don't fall far from the tree, and assuming he found a woman to sleep with him -- I shudder to think the entitlement his children feel might be owed to them.
I'm also amused by people who consider Red Lobster to be "fine dinning."
Interested Observer, just curious, how do you know he makes $80,000 a year? Do you know him, or someone who knows him?
And he could be using a computer and the internet at a library....
But, at $80,000 per annum or not, he seems like a whinging freeloader to me.
I just can't bring myself to feel sorry for this guy.... Should every restaurant feel obligated to give their food away for free just because its someones birthday? Even restaurants that do give something away have limits on it. You can't go into red robin and have all the free beer you can drink.
agreed sspark, and he sure has no problem paying for his internet access he uses to post on facebook all day long.....hmmmm. My parents always told me beggers cant be choosers. be thankful he had red robin, ihop etc to choose from.
So all the people in Redding California who are too poor to eat at red lobster are entitled to a free $50 meal every year? The concept isn't that resturants give away birthday freebies to support charity, they give them with the intention that regular customers get a little something nice. There are lots of places I can't afford to eat; I don't expect them to give me something free just because I exist. If all those people on the internet really cared, they'd have chipped in a couple of bucks and together paid for Robert's meal. Nothing like charity when you demand someone else provide it.
From his profile picture, it looks like he needs to eat less.
Only in America do we behave like this - demanding free things just for existing.
It is like ancient Rome - just before the barbarians stormed the gates.
"Where's my free Hot Meal?" seems to be the cry today.
Sad!
This is kind of sick, this guy goes around and eats free food at every place kind enough to allow it, and all he can do is complain because Red Lobster wont give him free food, he's so poor he's o facebook.
He's so poor but can afford internet... Just saying. Red Lobster owes him nothing. Entitlement mentality and probably a OWS loser.
Geez, red lobster? seriously? that sounds more like a punishment than a reward.
Oh, great. We got a food snob here.
WOW..what a whiner. Lots of folks can't afford Red Lobster and they don't go whining like a child on Facebook about it. Get over yourself Dude!
This is what I call Socialism. "I'm poor... help me get a nice meal because you've never done anything for me before". It's the sense of entitlement. Like he's entitled to the free meal BECAUSE he's poor. I Don't mind paying for other people's stuff, but I can't stand when people think they are entitled to it.
I think you had better go to dictionary.com and look up "socialism".
What a reasonable comment. Your name must be sarcastic.
How do you spend $100 in a Red Lobster? Their entrees are like $20.
He needs $100 to eat at Red Lobster? How much food does this guy eat?
and this is what is wrong with america and unfortunately the majority of its citizens: wanting something for free because they feel entitled to it.
Does it really cost a person $100 to eat at a Red Lobster, as this person wrote in his first message??
He seems like a jerk to me.
All those campaigners got played. If he's so poor that he can't afford one meal at Red Lobster, then he shouldn't be able to afford internet access, much less have a Facebook account and the time to post whining comments on it. I don't believe he's all that poor; he's just greedy and manipulative. Plus, his beard looks fake.
Just sounds like the guy scammed everyone!
I've worked in the industry for 18 yrs. There is always someone wanting something for nothing. Like eat 3/4 of a meal and then complain that it's not right.
Ah! The power of the Internet!!! Lobster for Robster! Asking for a free Camaro shows he has a sense of humor while the conservatives are having their usual default reaction-stone throwing, finger pointing and name calling. People need to lighten up, get a life, and quit with all the "entitlement" b.s. If your living in the United States your life IS a life of entitlement. If you have hot and cold running water your already living the dream compared to the people in 3rd world countries who dont even have access to clean water to drink.....
this is news? worth having an opinion on in any way?
not to harsh the buzz .... "Im so poor that I have an internet connection, facebook page and gawd knows what else." And what is he gonna order for a hundred bucks?!?! The entire entree section?!?! And im poor too! (or at least part to the 99%) so wheres my free dinner...dammeet. #occupyredlobstertillyougetfreefood
This is so stupid. I don't understand why thins guy should get anything. Hopefully this was just a joke.
Red Lobster? Seriously? Their seafood isn't even fresh. People rag on Olive Garden as being cheap and "blah", but at least Olive Garden never gave me food poisoning.
Pathetic.
F this guy. You're poor but you can afford gas and insurance on a red V-8 Camaro?