A past location of Red Lobster in Gaithersburg, Maryland has since closed.Photo byIllegitimate Barrister, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Red Lobster is a casual dining restaurant and shouldn't be compared to fine dining restaurants when commenting on seafood venues. Many families who can't afford fine dining costs can go to a Red Lobster, especially if they love seafood.

Red Lobster was founded in 1968 making it over half a century old. There's a lot to be said about its longevity. It has become an iconic restaurant in the casual dining landscape.

Casual dining restaurants have their challenges when customer preferences change. Red Lobster has struggled and needs to reinvent itself. It's had declining sales and financial problems. It worked on enhancing the customer experience with online ordering and its mobile app.

Lobster and crab duo.Photo byRed Lobster via Facebook.

Red Lobster's future doesn’t look as dim since the recent acquisition

In 2014, Red Lobster's parent company, Darden Restaurants, sold it to Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm. Some may have thought this was a final effort to save Red Lobster back then. However, the private equity firm invested greatly to bring freshness and life to the chain. Restaurant designs were updated and the quality of food and service were improved.

With improvements, new locations were opening across the country.

In mid-May 2024, Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Later that month, Time reported the brand closed 48 locations in 21 states. At that time, bankruptcy was a consideration to restructure debt.

There are still hundreds of locations open, that's the good news, especially if you love the cheddar biscuits. In late May 2024, 99 locations in 28 states were supposedly temporarily closed but that likely wasn't the case for some of those locations.

RL Purchaser LLC, a stalking horse bidder (one who places the initial bid on the assets of a bankrupt company), was going to be Red Lobster's new owner according to court filed documents in Orlando, Florida. RL Purchaser LLC consists of Red Lobster's lenders and is backed by backed by Fortress Investment Group.

The popular Cheddar Bay Biscuit.Photo byRed Lobster via Facebook.

Since RL Purchaser LLC won the bid by default, this gives Red Lobster and its CEO, Jonathan Tibus, time to reorganize and look at marketing strategies. It will aslo reduce unnecessary costs without affecting quality, and continue to look at ways to improve the experiences for its customers.

As Red Lobster faces challenges, discussions suggest it could make a comeback after the recent acquisition. It’s believed Red Lobster’s future is a combination of the following:

• Classic seafood dishes
• Family-friendly atmosphere
• An improved focus on quality

Photo byRed Lobster via Facebook.

Closures and open restaurants in Missouri

States with the most closed restaurants include Florida, California, New York, and Texas. According to Red Lobster's website, a location at 3519 Country Club Drive in Jefferson City, Missouri is listed as temporarily closed. Other locations in Missouri still open are listed below:

• 1110 Interstate 70 Drive SW, Columbia, MO 65203
• 17204 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005
• 4101 Veterans Memorial Pkwy., St. Peters, MO 63376
• 5733 S. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63123
• 2381 Maplewood Commons Drive, Maplewood, MO 63143
• 12235 Saint Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, MO 63044
• 2141 S. Glenstone Avenue, Springfield, MO 65804
• 3559 Shepherd of The Hills Expressway, Branson, MO 65616
• 3269 William Street, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
• 670 NW Blue Parkway, Lees Summit, MO 64086
• 3131 S Rangeline Road, Joplin, MO 64801
• 4328 Noland Road, Independence, MO 64055
• 450 NW Barry Road, Kansas City, MO 64155

The above list suggests these Missouri locations are still thriving.

The new ownership could ensure with a proper plan that operation of existing Red Lobsters will continue. This also provides some hope that with appropriate changes, the life of Red Lobster could grow for its loyal customers.

Thanks for reading.