NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — At least one in five Red Lobster locations have already or will shut down this year as the nation’s largest seafood restaurant chain attempts to find its footing after filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy in May.
In a court filing last week, the company said it won’t continue the leases of nearly two dozen locations as of Saturday. Those closures include three states that had previously been spared: Arkansas, Minnesota and Ohio.
“This year’s closures represent 20 percent of the 643 restaurants that were operating as the year started,” said USA Today in its report on Friday about the move.
However, the seafood chain, founded in 1968, is still the largest in the United States, with more than 500 locations in 44 states, based on locations reported on their website.
While the company shuttered the largest number of locations in Florida, 37 restaurants will still operate in the state, including three in Orlando. Texas tops Florida with 44 locations — even though 11 recently closed.
