The company lost $11 million on Endless Shrimp last year.
It’s a dark day for Cheddar Bay Biscuit fans. Red Lobster just abruptly closed dozens of locations across the country, and a restaurant-supply liquidator has placed much of the doomed chain’s kitchen equipment up for auction.
It wasn’t immediately clear on Tuesday exactly how many locations are permanently closing. While multiple reports say that the seafood chain is closing at least 48 locations, the Red Lobster website currently lists 87 locations as “temporarily closed” in 27 states, according to USA Today. The New York Times reported that “equipment from more than 50 Red Lobster restaurants across the United States was up for auction.”
The equipment liquidation company TAGeX Brands announced on Monday that Red Lobster auctions are currently live and will end on Thursday, May 16.
According to the TAGeX website, these auctions are the company’s “largest restaurant liquidation ever,” with items such as ovens, refrigerators, and furniture up for grabs. It’s important to note that the company is using a “winner takes all” method, meaning that each winner will receive the “entire contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on.”
As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the contents of a Red Lobster location in Rochester, NY, had a top bid of $2500. Items up for grabs included “high-performance ovens, upright refrigerators and freezers, cooking and warming solutions, and comprehensive bar and dining setups.”
The mass closures come amidst a turbulent period for Red Lobster, as the restaurant has been in hot water for quite some time. Last year, the company reported an $11 million loss in the third quarter, thanks to the popularity of its Endless Shrimp promotion, and a $12.5 million loss in the fourth, according to CNN. Just last month, the seafood chain considered filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Here’s a complete list of the Red Lobster locations that are closing:
ALABAMA
- Auburn
- Decatur
CALIFORNIA
- Redding
- Rohnert Park
- Sacramento
- San Diego
- Torrance
COLORADO
- Denver
- Lakewood
- Lone Tree
- Wheat Ridge
FLORIDA
- Altamonte Springs
- Gainesville
- Hialeah
- Largo
- Orlando
GEORGIA
- Athens
- Roswell
- Dublin
IDAHO
- Lewiston
ILLINOIS
- Bloomingdale
- Danville
INDIANA
- Indianapolis
- Elkhart
IOWA
- Council Bluffs
- Waterloo
MARYLAND
- Gaithersburg
- Columbia
- Silver Spring
- Laurel
MICHIGAN
- Fort Grant
MISSISSIPPI
- D’lberville
NEW YORK
- Amherst
- Kingston
- Rochester
NEW JERSEY
- Ledgewood
NORTH DAKOTA
- Grand Forks
OKLAHOMA
- Lawton
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Myrtle Beach
TEXAS
- Lake Jackson
- Longview
- San Antonio
VIRGINIA
- Colonial Heights
- Williamsburg
- Newport News
WASHINGTON
- Silverdale
WISCONSIN
- Wauwatosa
- La Crosse
delish | Author: DIANNA SHEN