CONNECTICUT, USA — It's been a tough week for fans of Red Lobster, a national restaurant brand that quickly spread from coast to coast after being established in Lakeland, Fla. in 1968.
Red Lobster found popularity by serving affordable seafood to the middle class and enjoyed decades of success.
On Monday, however, Red Lobster announced plans to auction 48 locations through TAGex Brands, whose CEO Neal Sherman said on LinkedIn that the company is launching the largest restaurant liquidation ever through its online marketplace.
Meanwhile, 90 Red Lobster locations in 27 states were listed as “temporarily closed,” the restaurant’s website said that day.
In Connecticut, four Red Lobster restaurants remain open, and it appears that all four avoided the cut, at least for now.
The Red Lobster locations on Main Street in Bridgeport, Backus Avenue in Danbury, Universal Drive North in North Haven, and the Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield all listed their regular hours on their respective websites on Tuesday, meaning Red Lobster lovers in Connecticut can still eat out at their favorite restaurant.
The future of each location, however, remains uncertain. A Red Lobster spokesperson did not immediately answer an inquiry from FOX61 on Tuesday, but no plans have been officially announced regarding the Connecticut locations.
Years ago, there were more Red Lobster restaurants in Connecticut, including locations in Enfield, Torrington, and East Hartford, but those days are long gone. So too could be the days of the four Red Lobster restaurants currently in operation in the Constitution State.
Workers at the dozens of locations that closed in the past 48 hours claimed on social media that they were given no warning before being informed they no longer had jobs.
The writing may be on the wall for the once popular restaurant chain, which has seen multiple ownership changes in its history spanning more than a half-century. In 2020, longtime supplier Thai Union became a major shareholder and Red Lobster co-owner by taking an unannounced financial stake in the brand.
In 2024, Thai Union Group, one of the largest seafood suppliers on the planet, declared that it would exit its minority investment in the brand. By divesting in Red Lobster, Thai Union said it would take a $530 million loss on its investment, CNN said.
According to reports, Red Lobster is in the midst of considering filing for bankruptcy and has chosen a restructuring guru as its chief executive, which could be a telltale sign that bankruptcy is looming.
Currently, over 700 Red Lobster locations remain operational worldwide, so there is hope for the four locations in Connecticut moving forward.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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