Joe’s Crab Shack location to close in days as restaurant chain pulls out of state completely – it was a ‘natural end’

SEAFOOD lovers are out another go-to spot as Joe's Crab Shack closes its last location in the Northeast.

The nautical-themed restaurant with colorful signs in Deptford, New Jersey — just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – will be shutting its doors for the last time later this month.

The next nearest Joe's Crab Shack location is in Baltimore, Maryland, according to the company's website.

Store leadership made the announcement on April 24.

The short-notice closure is a result of a "natural lease expiration," the spot's Chief Operating Officer Terry Turney told reporters at the local e-news site 42Freeway.

He confirmed when the last day that seafood lovers could grab a meal at the restaurant would be.

"Joe’s Crab Shack located at 2000 Clements Bridge Road in Deptford, NJ will close its doors on May 26, 2024," he said.

The restaurant has been located at the Deptford Landing shopping center in Gloucester County for years.

BANKRUPTCY AND DOWNSIZING

Joe's Crab Shack opened its first restaurant in Houston, Texas in 1991.

The restaurant chain has been facing difficulties for years, culminating in a bankruptcy filing in 2017 and a change of ownership, according to the Houston Business Journal.

Landry's Restaurants bought the failing company at auction later that year and immediately shut down 40 locations.

The corporation owns hundreds of hospitality, entertainment, and gaming franchises, including Del Frisco’s and Morton’s Steakhouse.

Although more mass closures have not been announced by Landry's, over a dozen Joe's Crab Shacks have closed in the last few years.

In December, the nearest Joe's Crab Shack shut down in Clifton, New Jersey.

Leadership gave the same explanations for both the Clifton and Deptford restaurants, citing a "natural lease expiration."

The company's spokesman concentrated on other aspects of the situation in his comments about the most recent closure to local reporters.

"We thank the community for the many years of support. We value our employees, their dedication to our company, and are working to relocate them to our sister locations nearby," Turney said.

The Deptford location has already been put up for lease by the Wharton Real Group, according to NJ.com.

RESTAURANT CLOSURES GALORE

Joe's Crab Shack is not the only restaurant to face closures this year.

Floridians were shocked to see 11 Tijuana Flat locations shut overnight after the company went bankrupt and was sold to a new owner.

Chili's fans in Irvine, California have been mourning the loss of their local restaurant after owners announced that its lease had expired too.

And Cracker Barrel lovers in three states were in for a bad surprise when store leadership announced it was closing multiple locations last month.

The southern-style restaurant shuttered its windows in Medford, Oregon; Columbia, South Carolina; and Sacramento, California.