Red Lobster’s CEO apologized Tuesday for its Mother’s Day mishap that left crowds of customers waiting for hours for unfilled orders at restaurants in Ross and other states.

“I apologize that we disappointed many of you this past weekend as you placed orders for Mother’s Day, one of the most important days of the year,” Kim Lopdrup wrote in a statement. “We received significantly more online orders than we have ever gotten in a single day, and despite preparing for a spike in demand on Mother’s Day, some of our restaurants were unable to keep up with the volume.”

He recognized that many customers experienced what he called “unacceptable delays,” and crowds in the parking lot and at the doors when they came to pick up orders.

Police were called to keep order as the Red Lobster on McKnight Road in Ross closed Sunday evening.

“Some of you did not receive your orders,” Lopdrup wrote.”Unfortunately, this ruined many planned celebrations, and I am deeply sorry.”

A similar scene played out in Oak Lawn, Ill.

A fight broke out in a Red Lobster parking lot in East York, Pa.

Lopdrup said the chain plans to review the company’s online system and discuss methods to handle a recurrence. He acknowledged many customers have contacted the restaurant, which is working to respond.

Red Lobster spokeswoman Nicole Bott also said in an email that to-go orders placed on the restaurant’s website that were not fulfilled will be refunded. Guests who placed an order through a third party should reach out to that company.

In a release, Bott said “we are grateful that [customers] continue to choose Red Lobster, especially during these unprecedented times. We are working to better understand what occurred and how we can prevent it occurring in the future.”

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