When the Waterloo Red Lobster employees arrived for work yesterday, they were sadly informed they were out of a job.

If you were to visit the restaurant today, you'll find a sign on the front door letting you know you'll have to get your cheddar bay biscuits somewhere else.

The Red Lobster located at 941 E San Marnan Dr closed yesterday (May 13) and this abrupt closing caught its employees by surprise. Supposedly there was no indication that this was happening but it appears that the restaurant could have been facing financial difficulties.

Out of Nowhere

According to KWWL, Bryce Campbell was the Culinary Manager at Red Lobster and showed up for work like it was a normal day. As he was going through some paperwork for the day, he received the phone call he wasn't expecting.

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"I was going through paperwork for the day and making my floor plan for where everyone was going to work and got a call from my district manager and he said that we were closing effective immediately and I was out of a job."

Hunter Perry was the Front-of-House Manager for this Red Lobster location and he said it was a big shock to everyone. He also added this building was like a family. Monday was his day off and he woke up to phone calls from other employees, turned his keys in, and was let go.

"This building and the people here have been family, and it's been fun times. Even in the stressful days at least at the end of the day, we can all beat our chest and 'hoo-rah' about it, we got through it, we did it, the doors are locked and let's go home. It's been such a great time working here, it will be hard to find this again."

Both managers agreed they have had a positive time working at the restaurant.

Waterloo Mayor, Quentin Hart also spoke to KWWL about the unfortunate news of this popular restaurant being shut down.

"It’s unfortunate to hear that Red Lobster is having financial difficulties that are leading to the closing of multiple sites nationwide. I read about it from a Facebook post. Red Lobster has been a staple in communities like ours across this country, and it’s troubling to see more closings. We would welcome a conversation with the CEO and other leadership to see how we can assist in keeping the doors open."

Red Lobsters Closing Around the Country

This Red Lobster location isn't the only restaurant that has been shut down by Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC. According to KXNET, 48 other restaurant locations around the country are closing down and auctioning off various kitchen equipment as of yesterday (May 13).

California, Florida, Mayland, Colorado, Texas, and Illinois have also seen abrupt closings, at multiple Red Lobster locations.