Seafood chain Red Lobster closes 2 more KC-area locations: ‘Heavy heart’
Nearly two years after Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy and shuttered spots across the country — including ones in Olathe and Kansas City, Kansas — another two spots in the Kansas City metro are closed.
The Florida-based seafood chain has now closed its locations in Overland Park at 9475 Metcalf Ave. and Independence at 4328 S. Noland Road.
A sign taped on the door of the Overland Park location referred customers to its remaining spots: 450 NW Barry Road in the Northland and 670 NW Blue Parkway in Lee’s Summit.
“With a heavy heart, we are now permanently closed,” the sign read. “Thank you for all of the celebrations and milestones you have shared with us here in Overland Park.”
A manager at the Barry Road location confirmed that the Independence and Overland Park spots had closed but directed The Star to corporate for further questions. The company did not respond to The Star’s requests for comment Friday morning.
In May 2024, the company closed 87 restaurants across 27 states and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Its all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion, launched the year before, led to a quarterly loss of $11 million, according to The New York Times.
At that time, it shut down its spots at 14904 W. 119th St. in Olathe and 10700 Parallel Parkway in KCK.
A month later, the company included the Overland Park and Independence restaurantsl as potential locations it would close if its bankruptcy plan was approved. But both spots continued operating until recently.
Red Lobster emerged from bankruptcy in late 2024.
This year, the chain closed its longest continuously operating spot: its Tallahassee location at 2583 Monroe St. in 1970, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
In February, the chain’s new CEO Damola Adamolekun told The Wall Street Journal the spot needed to close still more locations to recover from its bankruptcy stint.
It relaunched its endless shrimp promotion in April of this year, though only for a limited time and at select locations.