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Red Lobster closing Times Square location after 23 years: ‘This was a difficult decision’

Nypost · · 481 words · By Adam Silverstein
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What to know about Red Lobster closing Times Square location after 23 years: ‘This was a difficult decision’

Red Lobster closing Times Square location after 23 years: ‘This was a difficult decision’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Red Lobster closing Times Square location after 23 years: ‘This was a difficult decision’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleRed Lobster is calling it quits in NYC.

Common ground

The seafood chain will permanently close its flagship restaurant in Times Square on June 14, ending a 23-year run in one of the world’s busiest tourist destinations, WABC reported on Friday.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/30/business/red-lobster-closing-times-square-location…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
schedule Pending 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
info
Claim 1: “All employees at the Times Square location will be offered transfers to other Red Lobster restaurants and additional pay to help with the transition.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one web search result mentions that employees would be offered transition pay and transfer opportunities; other results focus on the closure itself.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 5 Times Square is a 38-story office skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Located on the western sidewalk of Seventh Ave…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Times_Square
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Red Lobster Hospitality LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States (including Puerto Rico), and Ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lobster
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_lobster
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “including a one-day free lobster giveaway in 2023”
CORROBORATED
Delish and other web search results confirm a one-day-only 'Endless Lobster' free event took place at the Times Square location in March 2023.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 16, 2024 · The first-ever Endless Lobster Experience will give 150 winners across the country the chance to enjoy a complimentary, two-hour dinner of ...
https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiNewsNow/posts/red-lobsters-ne…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Discover Red Lobster seafood restaurants, find locations, browse our menus and more.
https://www.redlobster.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 16, 2023 · The one-day-only Endless Lobster promotion is taking place at just one location: the Red Lobster in New York City's Times Square. To secure ...
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a43336552/red-lobster-endle…
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Claim 3: “The seafood chain will permanently close its flagship restaurant in Times Square on June 14, ending a 23-year run”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (WABC, and two other news reports) confirm the Red Lobster Times Square location closed on June 14 after 23 years of operation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 5 Times Square is a 38-story office skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Located on the western sidewalk of Seventh Ave…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Times_Square
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Red Lobster Hospitality LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States (including Puerto Rico), and Ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lobster
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — SpongeBob SquarePants, also known simply as SpongeBob, is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first air…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “the owners of 5 Times Square asked for an annual rent of $2.2 million as the three-level, 16,482 square-foot space scrambled to remain open.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent reports confirm the asking rent for the 16,482 square-foot, three-level space was $2.2 million.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 24, 2024 · The asking rent for the 16,482 square feet on three levels is $2.2 million, sources say. The Post broke the news in 2002 that the seafood mecca ...
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-times-square-red-lobster-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 31, 2024 · The owners of 5 Times Square, where Red Lobster has been a fixture for 22 years, are asking for an annual rent of $2.2 million for the three- ...
https://nypost.com/2024/05/31/business/red-lobster-scramblin…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 · According to The Independent, the 16,482-square-foot restaurant ... Annual lease obligations reached about $190.5 million by 2023 ...
https://www.thestreet.com/restaurants/after-bankruptcy-iconi…
verified
Claim 5: “the restaurant’s address — 5 Times Square — on the corner of 41st Street and Seventh Avenue”
VERIFIED
Web search results explicitly state the restaurant was located at 5 Times Square, and Wikipedia confirms 5 Times Square is located on the western sidewalk of Seventh Avenue between 41st and 42nd Street.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — 5 Times Square is a 38-story office skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Located on the western sidewalk of Seventh Ave…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Times_Square
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Red Lobster Hospitality LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States (including Puerto Rico), and Ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lobster
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_lobster
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 6: “Red Lobster confirmed that its oldest continuously operating restaurant, in Tallahassee, Fla., closed on Sunday, May 24 after 56 years in business.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 7: “The shutdown comes as Red Lobster continues to recover from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in May 2024.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in May 2024.
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Claim 8: “the building’s planned conversion to residential use”
CORROBORATED
Both NY.Gov (Empire State Development) and New York YIMBY report the residential conversion of 5 Times Square.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — One Times Square (also known as 1475 Broadway, the New York Times Building, the New York Times Tower, the Allied Chemical Tower or simply as the Times Tower) is a 25-story, 363-foot-high (111 m) skysc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Times_Square
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Times Square is one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, tourist destinations, and entertainment hubs. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street in Midtown …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — V-J Day in Times Square is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays a U.S. Navy sailor kissing a total stranger after grabbing her on Victory over Japan Day ("V-J Day") in New York City's Time…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-J_Day_in_Times_Square
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “The closure marks the end of Red Lobster’s only NYC location.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result explicitly states New York City is losing its 'only remaining Red Lobster', but this is not corroborated by other provided sources.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — 5 Times Square is a 38-story office skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Located on the western sidewalk of Seventh Ave…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Times_Square
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The characters in the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SpongeBob_SquarePants_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Red Lobster Hospitality LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States (including Puerto Rico), and Ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lobster
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 10: “More than 100 locations have closed in recent years”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the number of locations closed in recent years.
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Claim 11: “Since opening in 2003”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results explicitly state the restaurant opened in 2003.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Red Lobster Hospitality LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lobster
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... Red Lobster Times Square. The restaurant opened in 2003.Photo: Shutterstock. Red Lobster is leaving Times Square. The seafood chain's flagship ...
https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/red-lobster-to-close-times…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... Red Lobster is leaving Times Square. · The seafood chain's flagship location will close for good on June 14 after 23 years in the bustling ...
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/red-lobster-close…
schedule
Claim 12: “The Orlando-based chain ended 2025 with more than 500 restaurants nationwide and $1.56 billion in sales, down 6.2% from the previous year”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.