NEW YORK — Red Lobster confirmed Wednesday it will permanently close its Times Square restaurant at the end of service on June 14, ending a 23-year run at one of the city’s most prominent tourist corridors and leaving the seafood chain without a single location in New York City.
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The location at 5 Times Square opened in 2003, becoming a go-to stop for tourists and theatergoers seeking cheddar bay biscuits and affordable seafood in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.
In a statement, Red Lobster cited sustained construction activity at the building as the primary driver of the closure.
“The decision follows extensive and prolonged construction activity at the building that has significantly impacted restaurant access, visibility, and foot traffic, making continued operations at the location economically unsustainable,” the company said. “The building’s publicly reported transition into a residential tower also factored into the decision, as that future use does not provide a viable long-term runway for a high-volume restaurant at this location.”
New York’s Empire State Development organization is working with the city to convert vacant office space at 5 Times Square into hundreds of residential apartments.
The company said it remains “focused on strengthening the business” and plans to invest in marketing in the New York area through the second half of the year, with interior refreshes at select restaurants slated to begin this summer.
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The Times Square closure is the latest in a string of shutdowns as Red Lobster continues to work through the aftermath of its May 2024 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The Times Square location is at least the sixth Red Lobster to be designated for closure this year.
Locations in Baton Rouge, La., central Pennsylvania, and the chain’s oldest location in Tallahassee have all closed within the last month, along with two Kansas City-area restaurants, the Kansas City Star reported.
The Times Square restaurant will join a list of more than 100 Red Lobster closures over the past several years, leading up to and following the bankruptcy filing. The chain finished 2025 with more than 500 U.S. restaurants.
“Times Square has been an important chapter in Red Lobster’s history, and we are grateful to the team members and guests who have made this restaurant special over the years,” the company said.