Red Lobster
We don’t cover the openings and closings of many large chain restaurants in this blog, but the Red Lobster in Beachwood somehow feels special. It’s hard to imagine a time when the “fine seafood” restaurant wasn’t around, seeing as it opened its doors way back in 1977, when Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Annie Hall was in theaters.
With a tagline that read: “Great seafood for a little change,” the Red Lobster was the special occasion place for families on a budget. The Beachwood location opened on November 22, 1977. Back then, a diner could enjoy a steaming cup of New England clam chowder for 49 cents, a half dozen fried oysters (under the Delights in Armor section) for $2.29 and an entire Maine lobster – broiled and stuffed with crabmeat dressing – for just $6.59. The Landlubbers in the group could dig into a New York strip steak with with potato and garlic bread for $4.95.
These days, crowds show up to celebrate Endless Shrimp and Ultimate Endless Shrimp, but apparently not in Beachwood. Reps for the company say that the location was an underperformer compared to its brethren.
Here's a statement from the company:
“After more than 45 years of being part of the Beachwood community, we have made the difficult decision to close our restaurant at 3655 Orange Place. As part of our normal course of business, we continuously monitor restaurant performance and may from time to time choose to close or relocate restaurants like this. We have several other Red Lobster restaurants nearby, including restaurants in in Parma, Mentor and Strongsville. The management team and all our team members at the Oakhurst location have been offered the chance to relocate to other Red Lobster restaurants.”
And here's a menu from the late-1970s
