The seafood chain will close its only New York City location on June 14.
New York– red lobster It was confirmed Wednesday that the Times Square restaurant will permanently close at the end of service on June 14, ending a 23-year run in one of the city’s most famous tourist corridors and leaving the seafood chain without a single location in New York City.
Located at 5 Times Square, the store opened in 2003 and became a go-to spot for tourists and theater-goers looking for Cheddar Bay biscuits and affordable seafood in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
Red Lobster said in a statement that ongoing construction activity at the building was the primary reason for the closure.
“This decision follows extensive and prolonged construction activity at the building, which has significantly impacted restaurant access, visibility and foot traffic, making continued operations at the site financially unsustainable,” the company said. “The publicly reported conversion of the building to a residential tower also factored into this decision, as the future use does not provide a viable long-term runway for a high-traffic restaurant at the site.”
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 in the second half of the year, with interior renovations at some restaurants scheduled to begin this summer.
The closure of Times Square is the latest in a series of closings as Red Lobster continues to grapple with issues after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024. The Times Square store is at least the sixth Red Lobster designated for closure this year.
Central Pennsylvania locations in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the chain’s oldest location in Tallahassee all closed within the last month, along with two Kansas City-area restaurants: According to the Kansas City Star.
Times Square restaurant to be added Over 100 Red Lobster closures listed Over the past several years, before and after filing for bankruptcy. As of 2025, the chain has more than 500 restaurants in the United States.
“Times Square is 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.
