Famed restaurateur’s North Shore eatery shutters after only a year in operation

The Rudder is the latest closure from Barbara Lynch.

The Rudder in Gloucester, the newest restaurant opened by the embattled restaurateur and chef Barbara Lynch, has closed only a little over a year after it opened.

Lynch announced the closure on social media, saying, “After three years in the beautiful space on Rocky Neck, I have made the very personal decision to close The Rudder with immediate effect.”

“I would like to thank the community for all of their support,” Lynch continued. “Gloucester has always been and will remain very dear to my heart.”

The Rudder served seafood and American classics and was situated among some of America’s oldest operating art galleries. Overlooking the harbor, it was Lynch’s first restaurant to open in over a decade after numerous delays.

Lynch’s career has faced significant upheaval in recent years.

Last year, she was accused of fostering a toxic workplace culture. Her restaurant group, the Barbara Lynch Collective, was also sued by former employees who claimed that tips were illegally diverted away from staff.

In January, Lynch announced a “reorganization” of her eateries, closing three restaurants and selling two.

Menton, Sportello, and Drink, which were all located alongside each other on Congress Street in the Fort Point neighborhood of South Boston, closed, and the Butcher Shop and Stir, both in the South End, were sold.

No. 9 Park on Beacon Hill and B&G Oysters in the South End are now the only two restaurants remaining in the Barbara Lynch Collective.

Lynch, one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2017 and winner of multiple James Beard Foundation Awards, opened her first restaurant, No. 9 Park, in 1998 and continued to launch innovative spots in Greater Boston.

She eventually extended to the North Shore with the opening of The Rudder last spring.

In a statement shared with the Globe last year, Lynch said, “I have defied the odds over 25 years as a woman chef opening eight award-winning restaurants,” she said. “I will not let these recent attacks by my detractors destroy what I’ve built. I love what I do and I’m determined to move forward and grow, mentoring more chefs to greatness.”

The Barbara Lynch Collective did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime, and business in the New England region.