{"id":276571,"date":"2026-05-19T13:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T13:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/276571\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T13:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T13:25:09","slug":"say-bye-bye-to-red-lobster-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/276571\/","title":{"rendered":"Say bye bye to Red Lobster restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

A RED Lobster restaurant in the US is closing at the end of the week after 56 years. <\/p>\n

The seafood chain has experienced a turbulent few years following its 2024 bankruptcy <\/a>and mass closure wave of 130 locations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the Money newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Now, the chain has confirmed the permanent closure of a location in Tallahassee, Florida<\/a>, on Sunday, May 24. <\/p>\n

The restaurant is Red Lobster<\/a>\u2018s longest continuously running location, having survived the bankruptcy <\/a>two years ago. <\/p>\n

During its bankruptcy, Red Lobster closed 17 restaurants<\/a> in Florida.<\/p>\n

When Red Lobster was beginning to make its bankruptcy comeback with a new CEO<\/a> and operational changes<\/a>, the new General Manager of the Florida spot told customers that it wasn\u2019t finished yet. <\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

DEAL DERBY<\/p>\n

Applebee’s follows Red Lobster and brings back ‘all you can eat’ favorite<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

SHRIMP STEAL<\/p>\n

Red Lobster just brought back the all-you-can-eat item that ‘bankrupted’ them<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

At the time, the newly-appointed manager Nicholas Southerland told diners not to write it off, and that \u201cThings have changed; give us a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cOur community deserves a place to come and enjoy and be able to just spend time together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to see a restaurant that is in the heart of the community back running. I wanted to help bring it back to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tallahassee restaurant launched a new menu amid the chain\u2019s $60 million investment from backers, but it wasn\u2019t enough in the long term.<\/p>\n

On social media<\/a>, diners were shocked at the restaurant closure news<\/a>. <\/p>\n

One person wrote, \u201cPlease tell me this isn\u2019t true,\u201d\u00a0and another said it was \u201cSad to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tTimeline leading to Red Lobster’s financial woes\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRed Lobster has been a staple in the United States ever since its launch in 1968. But the business has recently been hit with financial troubles and it is now reportedly considering filing for bankruptcy.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

1968: Bill Darden opened the first Red Lobster as a family-owned restaurant in Lakeland, Florida.<\/p>\n

1970: Red Lobster caught the attention of General Mills and became backed by their resources. Stores start to rapidly open across the nation<\/p>\n

1974: Popcorn shrimp debuts<\/p>\n

1983: Red Lobster\u2019s first Canadian restaurant opens<\/p>\n

1984: Chain hosts its first-ever Lobster Fest<\/p>\n

1992: Famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits are unveiled for the first time<\/p>\n

1995: General Mills creates a spin-off of its restaurant division, known as Darden Restaurants, Inc.<\/p>\n

2003: The yearly tradition of Endless Shrimp starts<\/p>\n

2006: \u201cToday\u2019s Fresh Fish\u201d menu makes its debut, bringing fresh, regional seafood to Red Lobsters everywhere<\/p>\n

2010: Red Lobsters everywhere see an interior makeover inspired by the historic fishing village of Bar Harbor, Maine.<\/p>\n

2014: Darden Restaurants, Inc. sells Red Lobster to Golden Golden Gate Capital for $1.2 billion.<\/p>\n

2016: Thai Union Group pays $575 million for a 25% stake in the chain.<\/p>\n

2020: Thai Union Group purchases a 49% majority stake in the chain from Golden Golden Gate Capital for an undisclosed amount of money and Red Lobster reports record-breaking profits, pulling in $6.5 billion for the year.<\/p>\n

2023: Endless Shrimp becomes a permanent part of the menu<\/p>\n

2024: Red Lobster announces a $22 million loss for 2023, majority shareholder Thai Union Group announces it is looking to sell its shares. Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in May.<\/p>\n

Red Lobster\u2018s closures have faced renewed attention<\/a> recently after a location in San Diego<\/a>, California, was questioned by locals. <\/p>\n

It has sat vacant for two years, despite other closed Red Lobster spots in the United States being swiped by other retailers. <\/a><\/p>\n

The property manager\u2019s lease expires in 2028, and following that, the site is expected to be redeveloped. <\/p>\n

Business<\/a> owners and locals have demanded \u201cclarity\u201d to what they describe as being left in \u201climbo\u201d. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A RED Lobster restaurant in the US is closing at the end of the week after 56 years.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":276572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[688,118093,100638,118094,232,234,233],"class_list":["post-276571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-food-and-drink","tag-money-us","tag-red-lobster","tag-store-closures","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}