- Seafood chains have struggled total.
- The price of shrimp, lobster, and crab has usually gone up.
- Shoppers have been much less keen on seafood eating places.
Inexpensive seafood has been a problem for eating places. Pink Lobster fell out of business partly as a result of it supplied an all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion.
Shrimp is an costly protein, and other people can eat quite a lot of it. That promotion, which was just one think about Pink Lobster’s eventual Chapter 11 chapter submitting, value the corporate $11 million.
The problem with providing inexpensive seafood is that seafood simply is not low-cost. In concept, you’ll be able to lure folks in with shrimp, lobster, and crab leg offers, hoping to promote them high-margin drinks or desserts, however traditionally, that hasn’t labored all that nicely.
Joe’s Crab Shack, which is owned By Landry’s Eating places Group, used to have practically 150 eating places nationwide. That quantity has dwindled to beneath 20 with quite a lot of current closures.
This has solid actual doubt on the probabilities Landry’s will preserve working the idea, or swap areas to different manufacturers it owns.
Latest Joe’s Crab Shack closures
- San Diego, CA: The waterfront location close to the San Diego Symphony is ready to shut completely between August 24 and 28, 2025, after over 20 years of operation. All 61 workers can be laid off.
- Fort Myers, FL: The restaurant at 2024 W. First St. closed on Might 26, 2025, because of the conclusion of its lease settlement.
- Deptford, NJ: The placement at 2000 Clements Bridge Street closed on Might 26, 2024, following a pure lease expiration.
- Clifton, NJ: This restaurant closed on December 31, 2023, additionally resulting from a lease expiration.
- Kissimmee, FL: The placement at 7903 Irlo Bronson Memorial Freeway closed in September 2024.
- Kemah, TX: The Kemah Boardwalk location closed in November 2024. Plans are underway to transform the area into the doorway for a brand new water park, with building anticipated to start in July 2025.
- Corpus Christi, TX: The Joe’s Crab Shack right here closed on January 26, 2025, and was changed by a brand new restaurant idea referred to as Landry’s Kitchen.
Present Joe’s Crab Shack standing
As of Might 2025, Joe’s Crab Shack operates roughly 18 areas throughout the US. The closures are primarily resulting from lease expirations, declining gross sales, and strategic shifts by dad or mum firm Landry’s, Inc.
Rising seafood prices are an element for Joe’s Crab Shack.
Pink Lobster
Joe’s Crab Shack crammed a distinct segment
As a displanted New Englander, I appreciated Joe’s Crab Shack and sometimes visited one in Kissimmee, Florida. It supplied plentiful, decent-quality seafood at cheap costs.
It wasn’t low-cost. It was possibly 50% dearer than a comparable meal at Pink Lobster, nevertheless it was higher, and supplied a large selection of crab that is exhausting to seek out elsewhere.
Joe’s Crab Shack faces many of the similar points that drove Pink Lobster into Chapter 11 chapter.
Extra Eating places
- Mexican restaurant chain makes comeback after 20-year hiatus
- Mexican chain recordsdata Chapter 11 chapter; 24 eating places closed
- Chick-fil-A launches a brand new drinks-based restaurant model
“Inflationary pressures from increased wages, alongside unfavorable leases and underperforming locations, led to financial woes for Red Lobster,” Restaurant Dive reported.
However Pink Lobster, in contrast to Joe’s Crab Shack, had an possession (seafood vendor Thai Union) that wished out. Landry’s has not made a public touch upon the Joe’s Crab Shack Model, however permitting it to change into so small and changing some areas to different ideas means that assist could also be restricted.
Declining visitors at seafood eating places
- 2024 Site visitors Decline: In accordance with analysis agency Circana, seafood restaurant visitors fell by 1% in 2024, whereas gross sales remained flat for the 12 months. SeafoodSource
- Chain-Stage Struggles: Main seafood chains confronted vital challenges in 2024. As an illustration, Joe’s Crab Shack lowered its areas by a 3rd, from 30 to twenty, with gross sales dropping 27.5%. Equally, Bonefish Grill noticed a 5.8% decline in gross sales, resulting in a management change. Nation’s Restaurant Information
- Broader Business Influence: The Nationwide Restaurant Affiliation reported that 42% of restaurant operators skilled decrease buyer visitors in August 2025, marking the seventh consecutive month of decline.
- Financial Pressures: Rising menu costs, significantly for seafood objects, have deterred budget-conscious diners. For instance, seafood appetizer costs elevated by 3.7% in 2023. SeafoodSource
- Competitors and Client Conduct: Shoppers are more and more choosing extra inexpensive eating choices, resulting in lowered patronage at higher-priced seafood institutions. Restaurant Dive
