Red Lobster Abruptly Closes 50+ Locations, Including 4 In NJ: See List

NEW JERSEY — More than 50 Red Lobster locations across 21 states, including New Jersey, abruptly closed on Monday. (See list of locations below)

A liquidation company, TAGeX Brands, also announced an online auction of Red Lobster's kitchen equipment, furniture, and more from many of the locations. The auction went live on Monday at 3 p.m. and will end on Thursday.

"As of today, select Red Lobster locations are CLOSED. On our Restaurant Equipment marketplace, we are auctioning off 50+ locations across the country. These auctions are winner takes all – meaning, each winner will receive the entire contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on," according to the company.

Red Lobster has not made any public comments about the closures and a request for comment from Patch was not immediately returned.

According to Red Lobster's website, four New Jersey restaurants are listed as closed including:

• Bridgewater, 1271 U.S. Route 22
• East Brunswick, 750 Highway 18 North
• Lawrenceville, 3255 Brunswick Pike
• Ledgewood, 303 Route 10

The Ledgewood location is the only New Jersey location with a live auction as of Tuesday.

Other Red Lobster locations with live auctions can be found in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The closures follow news in April that the seafood restaurant chain was considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy to recoup $11 million in losses from its endless shrimp promotion, Bloomberg reported.

Red Lobster’s "Ultimate Endless Shrimp" promotion last year was intended as a limited-time offer but brought in enough new customers that the chain added it to its permanent menu in June. Customers gobbled it up, and the chain reported fourth-quarter 2023 losses of $12.5 million, the outlet reported.

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