Red Lobster oldest restaurant to close after 56 years

Red Lobster’s oldest continuously operating restaurant is set to close in Tallahassee, Florida, ending a 56-year run at one of the chain’s earliest surviving locations. SeafoodNews reported the closure on May 23, and other published reports said the restaurant’s final day is scheduled for May 24. The site opened in 1970 and has been identified in multiple reports as the longest-running Red Lobster still in operation. The closure comes nearly two years after the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 and later emerged from restructuring. ### Which Red Lobster is closing? The restaurant is in Tallahassee, Florida, on North Monroe Street, according to local and national reports. ABC News reported that Kaiya Davis, a supervisor at the location, said the restaurant is the longest continuously running Red Lobster in the chain. The Tallahassee Democrat also described it as the company’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. (seafoodnews.com) NBC New York, citing TODAY, reported that the Tallahassee site will officially close on May 24. SeafoodNews also said Red Lobster would shutter its oldest continuously operating location on that date. ### How old is the restaurant, exactly? The Tallahassee location opened in 1970, according to SeafoodNews, ABC News and other follow-up reports. (abcnews.com) That makes the restaurant 56 years old in 2026, though SeafoodNews’ item also referred to the closure as the end of a 54-year run, creating an apparent discrepancy within syndicated summaries of the report. The opening year of 1970 is consistent across the other reports. (nbcnewyork.com) MassLive and AL.com both reported that the restaurant was the chain’s longest-operating location and that the closure would end nearly 56 years of business. Those reports matched the Tallahassee Democrat’s earlier account of the pending shutdown. ### Did Red Lobster say why this location is shutting down? Published reports available on May 23 did not include a detailed public explanation from Red Lobster for this specific closure. (seafoodnews.com) SeafoodNews’ item, as surfaced in search results, identified the closure and the location’s status as the oldest operating restaurant but did not provide a replacement plan or broader timeline. (masslive.com) ABC News reported only that a representative for the chain confirmed the closure, while the Tallahassee Democrat said the news came as an unexpected announcement locally. Neither excerpted report, as available in search results, included a detailed company rationale. ### How does this fit into Red Lobster’s recent history? Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024, and later reports described the company as trying to stabilize operations after restructuring. (seafoodnews.com) AL.com said comeback efforts had not been enough to save the Tallahassee restaurant. MassLive reported that the chain had already closed dozens of locations and had told The Wall Street Journal it needed to downsize again after emerging from bankruptcy in September 2024. (abcnews.com) SeafoodNews’ broader coverage still listed Red Lobster alongside other chain seafood operators in menu and market comparisons, indicating the brand remains active even as the historic Tallahassee site closes. That matches the picture in other recent consumer-facing reports that still include Red Lobster in national chain roundups. ### What happens next at the Tallahassee site? May 24 is the reported final day of service for the North Monroe Street restaurant. (al.com) As of the reports published through May 23, no immediate replacement restaurant, redevelopment plan or reopening date for the site had been publicly identified. (nbcnewyork.com) (seafoodnews.com)