Red Lobster Is Closing Restaurants: See Complete List of Doomed Locations for 2026

After a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2024, the seafood chain is still trimming its footprint across the U.S.

Even as it works to rebuild its brand after bankruptcy, Red Lobster hasn’t stopped trimming its footprint in 2026.

The seafood chain’s footprint has shrunk to approximately 540 restaurants nationwide, down from over 700 before its bankruptcy.

In May 2024, it filed for Chapter 11

In May 2024, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, closing more than 100 locations that year after its “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” promotion contributed to an estimated $19 million loss. Notably, earlier this week, Red Lobster announced that it was bringing back the same promotion after a successful test trial in April.

Some closures have garnered more public attention than others. Red Lobster’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, located in Tallahassee, Florida, closed in May after 56 years in business. The company called it “a special place in Red Lobster’s history” that had “been a meaningful part of the community for decades.”

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The same day, the chain also closed locations in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Overland Park, Kansas, and Independence, Missouri.

In June, Red Lobster shuttered its Times Square

In June, Red Lobster shuttered its Times Square restaurant after 23 years, leaving Manhattan without a single Red Lobster location. “It’s the only place I eat lobster,” a patron told The New York Times. 

The company cited ongoing construction that hurt access and foot traffic, along with the building’s planned conversion into residential apartments as key factors in the change. “Times Square has been an important chapter in Red Lobster’s history, and this was a difficult decision,” the company told Fox4.

Source: www.inc.com