This past spring, Victoria's Red Lobster Seafood Restaurant at 7404 N. Zac Lentz Parkway closed its doors. The location was one of many in a series of that restaurant's closures across the state, and Victoria's Red Lobster location won't be reopening anytime soon.
A real estate sign posted out front is a strong indication of that. The restaurant was originally listed as temporarily closed along with locations in 27 states nationwide as the restaurant chain considered filing for bankruptcy. But as the months passed, the chain restaurant doors have remained closed in Victoria.
On May 19, Red Lobster voluntarily filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to rising costs and debt. The seafood restaurant's Victoria location sits abandoned in front of the mall, with palm tree limbs lying in the parking lot and a real estate sign posted out front. The Red Lobster restaurant is up for lease by Streetwise Retail Advisors, a real estate company based in Houston.
Red Lobster first opened in Victoria back in 1984. It was the second location in Texas to have a cocktail lounge and mesquite grilled seafood and meat for the chain. When it first opened, the restaurant employed 95 people and seated approximately 250.
During opening week, the restaurant served 6,000 to 7,000 guests. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! The city's population drove the opening of the restaurant. Ted Beard, the regional marketing manager for the company at that time, said since the chain restaurant had locations in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, guests familiar with the restaurant would stop at this one as they were passing through.
In 2013, rumors of the restaurant's demise began to circulate. At that time, General Manager Scott Wylie said, "We're going to be around forever and ever." A decade later, Victoria's one and only Red Lobster seafood restaurant has shut its doors.
In a Facebook post, the restaurant stated it has no plans to reopen any closed restaurants. The next closest Red Lobster location to Victoria is Corpus Christi. In this new column called Ask Madison, Madison O’Hara, a Victoria native and Advocate reporter, answers questions readers have about anything and everything to do with the Crossroads.
Email your question to Madison at [email protected] or call her at 361-580-6558..
