The Red Lobster by Cielo Vista Mall will close permanently on March 23, leaving two locations in El Paso.
An employee at the restaurant confirmed the date. The Red Lobsters at 1860 Joe Battle Blvd. and 800 Sunland Park Drive will remain open.
According to news reports, Red Lobster has been planning to drop dozens of lower-performing restaurants as it continues its nationwide restructuring.
Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida in 2024. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is often referred to as “reorganization bankruptcy” and typically allows a business to remain open while it reorganizes its finances to pay off existing debt over time.
Red Lobster ending endless shrimp
Red Lobster emerged from bankruptcy in September 2024 with a restructuring plan and more than $60 million in funding from RL Investor Holdings, a company formed by Fortress Investment Group to acquire the chain, with co-investors TCW Private Credit and Blue Torch, another credit firm. A few weeks earlier, Fortress named Damola Adamolekun, the former CEO of P.F. Chang’s, as the new Red Lobster CEO.
Since taking over, Adamolekun has made simple initial changes at Red Lobster, such as changing the music and putting out table linens, with plans to remodel some locations. He also removed the endless shrimp menu item to relieve stress on the restaurants’ kitchens.
Adamolekun told the Journal the chain’s sales have increased by about 10% from last year, with younger people exploring Red Lobster.
Red Lobster, which has about 480 locations in 44 states listed on its website, did see an uptick in year-over-year foot traffic at its restaurants over the summer and into fall – 18% higher in July 2025 – according to Placer.ai, which estimates visits to locations by tracking millions of devices and using machine learning. Traffic declined in December and January, but so did traffic across the entire full-service dining category, according to the firm’s research.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok. USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Red Lobster closing East El Paso location; open through March 23
Reporting by Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
