Red Lobster will close its restaurant at 5 Times Square on June 14, ending more than two decades in one of Manhattan’s busiest tourist corridors. The move shuts down a location that opened in 2003 and became one of the chain’s most visible outposts in New York City.
The closure matters now because the date is fixed and the restaurant’s run is almost over. Red Lobster said Times Square has been an important chapter in its history and called the decision difficult, while also thanking the team members and guests who made the restaurant special over the years.
The company said the site has been hindered by extensive and prolonged construction at the building, which hurt access, visibility and foot traffic. It also pointed to the property’s planned conversion to residential use, saying that made continued operations there no longer viable. For a restaurant in a high-traffic district, that combination leaves little room to keep serving the same role it once did.
The closure also comes as Red Lobster is still trying to steady itself after a turbulent year. The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2024 after filing in May of that year and closing dozens of restaurants nationwide amid mounting financial pressures. A bankruptcy court approved its reorganization plan and let it exit Chapter 11 under new ownership backed by Fortress Investment Group, with RL Investor Holdings LLC acquiring the company and Damola Adamolekun taking over as chief executive.
That history is what makes the Times Square exit notable, but Red Lobster has not said it is part of a wider round of shutdowns. At the time of the reorganization, the chain said it would keep operating as an independent company with 544 locations across 44 states and four Canadian provinces, a reminder that even as one marquee New York address goes dark, the brand is still far from disappearing. What remains unanswered is what will replace the restaurant once the doors close on June 14.
