TOLEDO, Ohio — Red Lobster has announced more than 130 of its stores are at risk of closure, three of which are in northwest Ohio, according to a court filing from the seafood restaurant after declaring for bankruptcy last month.
WTOL 11 spoke to people at the Red Lobster on Monroe Street in Toledo and the one on Reynolds Road in Maumee. The other location is on Tiffin Avenue in Findlay.
Many people said when they heard about the closing, they got to their closest Red Lobster as soon as they could. They're sad to hear the news, especially since if these locations do close, the nearest one would be across the state line in Monroe.
Corinna Holloway came to the Red Lobster in Toledo on Thursday after hearing about the possible closure.
"I've been coming to Red Lobster since I was a child," Holloway said. "Bring my son on the last (hurrah). No more endless shrimp, no more none of that. We're going to get it in."
Ashley Selders had the same thought and came to the Red Lobster in Maumee to pick up food for her whole family on Thursday.
"We're all really sad about it," Selders said. "We all love coming here. It's one of my favorite places to bring my boyfriend and one of my favorite places to celebrate birthdays."
While many are worried about losing the endless shrimp and the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Pat Nalley is thinking about her daughter losing her job at the Toledo location. She said her daughter feels blindsided by the news.
"The last that they heard they were staying open," Nalley said. "This is her income and her livelihood. She won't be able to pay her bills. I don't want to think about it. You lose your job, you lose your job. Going to have to go somewhere else, going to have to do something different."
Just this year alone, WTOL 11 has reported at least six restaurants in Toledo are closing, like Fowl and Fodder or Eddie Lee's. The Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance says restaurant owners are facing significant increases in food and labor costs.
In a recent business poll, nearly 40% of operators say food costs were up between 1-5%, according to the ORHA. On top of that, about 20% report sales were down 1-5% percent.
Despite the outlook, the ORHA says more restaurants are opening than closing in Ohio. As for Holloway, even if Red Lobster closes, she'll still get her seafood fix.
"It's the summer, so it's time to experiment," Holloway said. "Do your own seafood boil. And plus, we've got a couple of places around so we can do that. It'll be alright.
The Red Lobster closures will need to be approved by the courts.