A longtime Red Lobster restaurant in California is preparing to serve its final customers, and employees say they learned about the closure with little warning. The shutdown will leave an entire region without a Red Lobster location as the seafood chain continues restructuring following its bankruptcy.
Palm Desert restaurant closing in September
The Red Lobster on Highway 111 near Fred Waring Drive in Palm Desert will permanently close in early September, according to local reporting. Employees were informed of the closure on August 24 and said the restaurant is expected to stop operating around September 6 or 7.
The restaurant opened in June 2012, meaning it will have operated for about 14 years when it closes. It is currently the only Red Lobster in the Coachella Valley.
Employees surprised by closure
The sudden announcement caught workers off guard.
“We kind of found out this morning that our restaurant is closing,” one employee told KESQ. The worker said employees were told they would no longer be open after September 6 or 7 and described the news as something that came unexpectedly that morning.
The closure is also prompting concern among local workers looking for new jobs as the restaurant prepares to shut down.
Customers will have to travel farther
Once the Palm Desert restaurant closes, customers in the Coachella Valley will need to travel outside the area to visit Red Lobster. The closest remaining locations are in San Bernardino and Temecula, according to KESQ.
The restaurant was also known for its seafood offerings and live lobster holding tank, which had become a familiar feature for local diners.
Closure comes after bankruptcy
The Palm Desert shutdown comes as Red Lobster continues its efforts to recover from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which the company filed in May 2024. The chain closed numerous restaurants during the bankruptcy process and has continued evaluating its restaurant footprint.
Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun said earlier this year that additional closures remained possible as the company worked to reduce costs and strengthen the business.
For Palm Desert customers, however, the closure means the end of a familiar seafood restaurant after 14 years in the community.
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