Seafood chain Red Lobster has abruptly closed at least 48 of its location across the U.S., according to reports, as the company navigates troubled financial waters.
While the company hasn't officially announced the closures or commented on them, restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands publicized the auctioning of the kitchen equipment, furniture and all other contents inside the restaurants apparently shutting down on Monday.
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"Select Red Lobster locations CLOSED today! Prepare for the LARGEST restaurant liquidation EVER! Fixtures, furniture, and equipment MUST GO," the liquidator wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. "Auctions start NOW. SINGLE winner for each location. WINNER TAKES ALL." TAGeX Brands indicates that the auction, which will continue through Thursday, involves more than 50 Red Lobster locations.
The reported closures come on the back of recent reports saying that Red Lobster was considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a series of recent major losses. In the third quarter of 2023, the seafood chain reported a loss of more than $11 million, according to Restaurant Business.
Red Lobster's parent company Thai Union Group blamed the seafood chain's decision to introduce its "Ultimate Endless Shrimp" as a permanent offer on its regular menu as a "key factor" for the company's losses. Under the offer, which used to be temporary, clients could choose two types of shrimp and eat as much as they wanted for just $20. The deal helped traffic to Red Lobster grow by 4 percent year-on-year—but at a cost.
"We knew the price was cheap, but the idea was to bring more traffic to the restaurants," Thai Union Group's CFO Ludovic Regis Henri Garnier told investors in November 2023, as reported by Restaurant Business. "So we wanted to boost our traffic, and it didn't work," at least not in terms of improving the chain's overall economic performance.
Thai Union Group announced earlier this year that it would be divesting from Red Lobster.
Newsweek contacted Red Lobster for comment on the closures by email early on Tuesday.
Below is a list of all the seafood chain's locations which appear temporarily closed on the company's website by state.
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
- Hialeah
- Tampa (2625 East Busch Blvd. Tampa, FL 33612; and 17021 Palm Pointe DR Tampa, FL 33647)
- Largo
- Kissimmee
- Leesburg
- Orlando (7373 W Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32818; 3552 E. Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32803; and 8003 Golden Sky Lane Orlando, FL 32809)
- Altamonte Springs
- Gainesville
- Jacksonville (416 Commerce Center Drive Jacksonville, FL 32225; 8720 Baymeadows Road Jacksonville, FL 32256; and13090 City Station Drive Jacksonville, FL 32218)
- Sanford
- Daytona Beach Shores
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
- Olathe
- Kansas City
- Salina
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
- Dallas (10290 E. Technology Blvd. Dallas, TX 75220; and 9069 Vantage Point Dr. Dallas, TX 75243)
- Lake Jackson
- Houston
- Pasadena
- Tyler
- Longview
- Lufkin
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Are you a Red Lobster employee affected by the recent closures of several of its locations across the U.S.? Contact g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
