Red Lobster closes 56-year-old restaurant

Red Lobster said on Tuesday that it will close its oldest continuously operating restaurant, ending a 56-year run for the Tallahassee, Florida, location on North Monroe Street. The company confirmed the closure in statements carried by multiple outlets, with the restaurant’s final day set for Sunday, May 24. (abcnews.com) The site opened in 1970 and had become the longest-running Red Lobster still in operation, according to a location supervisor and local reporting. Red Lobster did not announce plans for the property after the closure. ### Which Red Lobster is closing? The Tallahassee restaurant is the location being shut down, not the chain’s original 1968 restaurant in Lakeland, Florida. (aol.com) Red Lobster’s corporate history says the company began in Lakeland, while the Tallahassee branch opened in 1970 and remained the oldest continuously operating unit in the system. ABC News reported that supervisor Kaiya Davis said by phone on Tuesday that the Tallahassee store had been open for 56 years. The Tallahassee Democrat first reported earlier this week that the restaurant would close its doors. (abcnews.com) ### What did the company say about the closure? Red Lobster said in a statement to ABC News that it could confirm the Tallahassee restaurant would be closing. The company called the site “a special place” in its history and said it had been a meaningful part of the community for decades. (redlobster.com) The company also said it “continuously evaluates restaurant performance and lease terms” and may close or relocate selected restaurants from time to time. Red Lobster said the Tallahassee decision reflected business circumstances specific to that location. (abcnews.com) ### Is this tied to Red Lobster’s bankruptcy and restructuring? May 2024 was when Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, after a period of financial strain that included losses tied to its unlimited shrimp promotion, according to ABC News. A judge later approved the company’s exit from Chapter 11 through a sale in September 2024. (abcnews.com) USA Today reported that the chain is still recovering from that bankruptcy filing. ABC News separately noted that Chief Executive Damola Adamolekun has spoken publicly about rebuilding the brand and bringing customers back, including the return of Endless Shrimp as a limited-time dine-in offer in April 2026. (abcnews.com) ### Why was this location notable inside the chain? Red Lobster’s own history page says Bill Darden opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland in 1968, before the business expanded nationally. That makes the Tallahassee closure notable because it removes the chain’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, even though it was not the very first Red Lobster ever opened. (abcnews.com) The Tallahassee site had outlasted other older-era restaurants in the chain’s Florida home state. Local and national reports described it as a landmark restaurant in the city. (usatoday.com) ### What happens next? Sunday, May 24, is the final operating day Red Lobster representatives gave to news outlets covering the closure. The company has not said whether the North Monroe Street property will be sold, redeveloped or reused. Red Lobster’s public website continues to list hundreds of locations worldwide, and the company said it will keep evaluating restaurant performance and lease terms across its system. (redlobster.com) (aol.com) (tallahassee.com)