Another Phoenix Red Lobster Restaurant Has Closed. A Second May Follow

Another Red Lobster restaurant has closed.Photo byBrian J. TromponUnsplash

It has not been a good year for national restaurant chains. A number of large brands have filed for bankruptcy while others have begun shuffling their lineup of current restaurants in order to focus on the most profitable locations and cut any fat away. One of the most prominent brands to file for bankruptcy protection so far this year is Red Lobster. Once the go-to destination for anyone hungry for seafood (or the cheese bread), the brand has started closing restaurants left and right, including a number around metro Phoenix. However, the closures are not done yet, and another Valley-area location is set for the chopping block. 

The Red Lobster website continues to update its official listing of restaurants around the country. It has become necessary to make daily checks as the brand continues to fine-tune its portfolio and slice away those that are no longer turning profits. Due to this, the brand has decided to shut down the Phoenix Red Lobster location at 2810 North 75th Avenue. 

Currently, the restaurant is listed as “Temporarily Closed.” That temporary will be removed, and the restaurant will remain closed until another business moves in. While the restaurant itself is still listed on the main website, hours of operation have all been switched to “Closed.”

Now, due to the large kitchen setup, there’s a good chance another restaurant will eventually move in, though with its floor space many new restaurant owners are not looking for that kind of square footage. These kinds of locations often stay closed for longer as only restaurants with a sizeable financial backing can move into such a space. 

When Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy it did include documentation for locations it might target for closure. The brand is not closing all of the locations immediately as it waits to see how the bankruptcy filing progresses. However, now that the 2810 North 75th Avenue location in Phoenix has closed, there is still one location left in the Valley that may find itself shuttered. 

This location is at 7921 West Bell Road in Peoria. Two other Arizona Red Lobster locations are also on the “wait and see” list, with one location in Tucson and another in Yuma. These three locations do remain open, though for how long and if they will be affected only time will tell. But, for the meantime, greater Phoenix is down one Red Lobster, with a second closure possibly following.