Red Lobster to Close 23 More Restaurants After Filing for Bankruptcy in May

The locations are set to be shuttered by Saturday, August 31

Red Lobster Is Considering Bankruptcy Partly Due to $11 Million Loss from Endless Shrimp Deal
Red Lobster. Photo:

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty

Red Lobster is shuttering over 20 more of its restaurants across the country.

According to a court filing obtained by PEOPLE, 23 locations are set to close by Saturday, Aug. 31. The news comes after the seafood chain filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida back in May.

Per to the filing, which was submitted on Aug. 22., the closures include several locations in Florida, Illinois and Virginia, as well as Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina.

Red Lobster Restaurant
Red Lobster.

Getty

Red Lobster currently operates over 530 restaurants, mainly in the U.S. and Canada. However, since filing for bankruptcy, the Orlando-based company has closed over 100 restaurants.

The filing states that the establishment has been reviewing leases "that are likely to continue to drive losses" based on an evaluation that "is centered on value maximization."

Per the filing, Red Lobster does "not anticipate needing" the 23 identified restaurants "in order to operate their business going forward."

During a previous round of closures, TAGeX Brands CEO Neal Sherman shared in a LinkedIn post that his company was handling liquidating the restaurant's belongings via auctions. He wrote that the auctions are the company’s "largest restaurant liquidation ever" and will include furniture, fixtures and equipment.

Ony May 19, the seafood chain filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid growing debt. At the time, the Associated Press reported that the company has over 100,000 creditors and estimated assets between $1 billion and $10 billion. The outlet also stated that the company's estimated liabilities are between $1 billion and $10 billion.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Prior to filing for bankruptcy, it was reported that the company’s signature endless shrimp deal caused the chain to lose $11 million.

Comments
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. PEOPLE does not endorse the opinions and views shared by readers in our comment sections.

Related Articles