More Closures Could Be Coming For This Popular Seafood Chain: See WI Locations

There may be more closures coming for Red Lobster as the seafood chain continues to recover from its 2024 bankruptcy, the company’s CEO recently told The Wall Street Journal.

Red Lobster is evaluating its leases and real-estate footprint and could close more restaurants, CEO Damola Adamolekun told the newspaper, after the chain shuttered about 130 locations roughly two years ago.

Ideally, Red Lobster would have dozens fewer restaurants and focus on its top performers, people familiar with the situation told the Journal.

Red Lobster currently has six locations in Wisconsin, according to its website. They can be found in:

• Appleton
• Ashwaubenon
• Eau Claire
• Greenfield
• Madison
• Mount Pleasant.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy two years ago to recoup millions of dollars in losses stemming from its all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion, Patch reported in May 2024, noting that the Orlando-based chain said in court filings that its annual guest counts were down 30 percent from 2019.

Red Lobster came out of the bankruptcy with different owners, about $70 million in new investment and Adamolekun as CEO, the Journal reported.

Since then, sales and visits are up, although sales are not at prebankruptcy levels, according to the Journal, which reported that costs have been cut with dozens of layoffs, but the price of imported seafood has risen due to tariffs.