Red Lobster Abruptly Closes Locations, Including 10 In NY: See List

NEW YORK— More than 50 Red Lobster locations across 21 states, including 10 in New York, abruptly closed on Monday.

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, the following New York restaurants are listed as closed:

• Stony Brook
• Amherst
• Buffalo
• Lakewood
• Williamsville
• Rochester
• Poughkeepsie
• Kingston
• Scarsdale
• Nanuet

Other Red Lobster locations with live auctions can be found in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, 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.

With reporting by Alexis Tarrazi