Red Lobster closes its doors for good

May 13—It's a call no mayor wants to receive — another business closing its doors.

"I just wanted you to know that they came in today and told us we're closed. I literally don't even have keys to the building anymore," said longtime Red Lobster manager, Pam, according to Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr.

With no notice, the employees of the Red Lobster on North Vermilion lost their livelihood, Williams said. He estimated there were approximately 40 employees at the location.

A sign, simply stating that the location is closed, was taped up on the door on Monday afternoon. Calls to the restaurant went unanswered.

This closure may have been a long time coming. According to an article on CNN from earlier this month, Red Lobster is in the process of closing some of its 650 stores across the nation.

In 2014, ownership of Red Lobster transferred from Darden Restaurants to San-Francisco-based private equity firm, Golden Gate Capital. That's when the location in Danville, along with many others around the country, had to start paying rent for their locations — upwards of $12,000 a month, according to Williams. In wake of Covid-era declines in restaurant revenues, the rent payments were particularly burdensome for the Danville location.

Though there are rumors of a similar situation in Champaign, a call to that restaurant on Prospect Avenue confirmed that the location is still open.

For Williams, the largest concern is the welfare of his constituents who lost their jobs without warning. With the Quaker Oats Company closing its factory in Danville last month, the mayor sees this as another major blow to the community.

"How do you treat people that have been with you that long like that?" Williams said. "To give them no notice is so disrespectful and inhumane. Those people could have gone anywhere else and made good money but they chose to be loyal. It's just disappointing."