Red Lobster, the casual seafood chain founded in Lakeland, has abruptly closed multiple Florida locations.
The company's website lists the locations as closed, including two in Tampa on Palm Pointe Drive and East Busch Boulevard and one in Largo.
But Florida isn't alone: according to CNN, at least 48 total restaurants across the country have been impacted. Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands is conducting an online auction of the restaurant's inventory, including kitchen equipment, furniture, tables and chairs.
Other locations facing shutdown include three in Jacksonville and one in Gainesville.
The first Red Lobster was opened in 1968 by Bill Darden. Now, the chain currently boasts around 700 restaurants and is headquartered in Orlando.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
