Red Lobster to close long-running Florida location after 56 years: 'Special place in history'
A historic Red Lobster will be shutting its doors after more than five decades.
A Tallahassee, Florida, Red Lobster, which has been open for 56 years will close, according to a supervisor at the location.
The restaurant, which opened in 1970, is the longest continuously running Red Lobster location, the supervisor, Kaiya Davis, told ABC News when reached by phone on Tuesday.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported earlier this week the restaurant would be closing its doors.
"We can confirm the Tallahassee restaurant will be closing," a representative for the chain also confirmed in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday.
The statement continued, "This restaurant holds a special place in Red Lobster's history and has been a meaningful part of the community for decades. We're grateful to the guests and team members who have supported it over the years."
"As part of the normal course of business, Red Lobster continuously evaluates restaurant performance and lease terms and may, from time to time, choose to close or relocate select restaurants. This decision reflects individual business circumstances specific to this location," the representative said.
Red Lobster's very first location opened in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida, before expanding across the country and later into Canada.
The seafood chain voluntarily filed for bankruptcy in May 2024 after an unlimited shrimp promotion cost the company $11 million in losses and prompted financial restructuring. Months later, a judge approved Red Lobster's exit from Chapter 11 with a sale to a new firm in September 2024, ABC News previously reported.
The new Red Lobster CEO, Damola Adamolekun, spoke with "Good Morning America" in July 2025.
"You have to differentiate yourself. People'll have kind of two or three restaurants that they'll go to as their favorites. And we're trying to crack that favorites list," Adamolekun said on his plan to draw people back to Red Lobster.
In April 2026, Adamolekun announced exclusively on "GMA" that the chain would bring back the famous endless shrimp offer to the dine-in experience for a limited time.
