A longtime Red Lobster restaurant at 4925 N. Academy Blvd. in northern Colorado Springs closed Monday, one of 23 locations that national news outlets reported were shuttered as part of the seafood chain’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in May.

Employees and vendors Tuesday were seen dismantling restaurant equipment and loading it into trucks parked next to the Red Lobster on North Academy. Passers-by were told the restaurant had closed a day earlier.

It’s unknown how many employees worked at the restaurant or their status; a Red Lobster spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to Gazette requests for additional information.

The Red Lobster is believed to have opened in the 1980s; the North Academy building that housed the restaurant was constructed in 1982, El Paso County land records show.

A second Red Lobster at 3510 New Center Point, in the First & Main Town Center on the Springs’ east side, remains open, according to the restaurant chain’s website.

USA Today, among other publications, reported that Red Lobster’s bankruptcy filing and restaurant closings were tied to the chain’s debt, executive leadership changes, a 30% decline in customers over the last five years and its money-losing all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion.

Rich Laden, The Gazette