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(NEXSTAR) – Purple Lobster places throughout the nation began closing abruptly Monday, stunning residents and, at the very least in a single case, a metropolis official.
As of Tuesday, 90 places in 27 states had been listed as “closed” on the restaurant’s web site.
Residents in Florida, New York, Iowa and Illinois, amongst others, discovered the shops all of the sudden shuttered.
“I used to be simply notified by one in all our native Purple Lobster managers that after 31 years of serving our group, with out discover, their father or mother firm laid off your complete crew and closed the restaurant efficient instantly,” Danville, Illinois Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. wrote in a Fb submit. “That is even though they had been rated quantity 15 out of over 600 shops for customer support & satisfaction final 12 months.”
The beleaguered seafood chain will probably be auctioning off the contents of 48 places, in keeping with a TAGeX manufacturers, a restaurant provide liquidator. It’s not clear if there are any plans to reopen the eating places not listed.
Nexstar reached out to Purple Lobster for extra details about the closures however didn’t obtain a response as of publishing time.
Purple Lobster proprietor Thai Union Group introduced in January 2024 that it was trying to promote its stake within the model, citing the influence of a “mixture of [the] COVID-19 pandemic, sustained business headwinds, increased rates of interest and rising materials and labor prices” on earnings.
Again in April, Bloomberg and CNBC reported that the seafood chain, which has been a staple of the American restaurant scene for many years, thought-about submitting for chapter. Although, Purple Lobster has not publicly confirmed this. The report famous that individuals who had been accustomed to the matter stated Purple Lobster was in search of restructuring recommendation to deal with leases and labor prices.
The corporate has confronted some monetary and inner challenges inside the previous few years. Between 2021 and 2022, the corporate welcomed a contemporary lineup of executives, together with a brand new CEO, chief advertising officer, chief monetary officer, and chief info officer, in keeping with CNN. All of them reportedly left inside two years.
Then, there was the limitless shrimp fiasco. In June 2023, the corporate provided its “Final Countless Shrimp” — usually a restricted provide — on their common menu for $20. The try to get extra folks into the shop labored, however it got here at a value.
Purple Lobster posted an working lack of greater than $11 million in Q3 of that 12 months, in keeping with Restaurant Enterprise. It’s a loss that father or mother firm Thai Union Group stated the limitless shrimp deal was a “key issue” in creating.
These are the places that seem closed, in keeping with the Purple Lobster web site:
Alabama
Auburn
Decatur
Huntsville
Arizona
Oro Valley
California
Redding
Fremont
Montclair
Rohnert Park
Sacramento
San Diego
Torrance
Colorado
Denver
Lakewood
Lone Tree
Wheat Ridge
Florida
Altamonte Springs
Daytona Seaside Shores
Gainseville
Hialeah
Jacksonville (Commerce Middle Drive)
Jacksonville (Baymeadows Highway)
Jacksonville (Metropolis Station Drive)
Kissimmee
Largo
Leesburg
Orlando (E. Colonial Dr.)
Orlando (W. Colonial Dr.)
Orlando (Golden Sky Lane)
Sanford
Tampa (East Busch Blvd.)
Tampa (Palm Pointe Dr.)
Georgia
Athens
Roswell
Dublin
Idaho
Lewiston
Illinois
Bloomingdale
Danville
Indiana
Indianapolis
Elkhart
Iowa
Council Bluffs
Waterloo
Kansas
Kansas Metropolis
Olathe
Louisiana
Bossier Metropolis
Maryland
Gaithersburg
Columbia
Silver Spring
Laurel
Michigan
Fort Gratiot
Mississippi
D’lberville
New Jersey
Ledgewood
Bridgewater
East Brunswick
Lawrenceville
New York
Amherst
Buffalo
Lakewood
Nanuet
Poughkeepsie
Scarsdale
Stony Brook
Williamsville
Kingston
Rochester
North Carolina
Burlington
Cary
Durham
Rocky Mount
North Dakota
Grand Forks
Oklahoma
Lawton
Oklahoma Metropolis
Stillwater
Pennsylvania
Erie
South Carolina
Myrtle Seaside
Tennessee
Memphis
Texas
Dallas (E. Expertise Blvd.)
Dallas (Vantage Level Dr.)
Houston
Lufkin
Pasadena
Tyler
Lake Jackson
Longview
San Antonio
Virginia
Colonial Heights
Williamsburg
Newport Information
Washington
Silverdale
Wisconsin
Wawatosa
La Crosse
Created by Invoice Darden, the primary Purple Lobster opened in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida, marketed as contemporary seafood for folks of all walks of life. As of Monday, the web site claims that there are over 700 Purple Lobster places world wide.
Nexstar’s Invoice Shannon and Brian Farrell contributed to this story.