Well, it is a known fact that US people eat out at a greater rate than even the French. Personally, I would rather read a BAD book than go out to eat. I would rather play shuffleboard than go out to eat. I would even rather cut the grass.

Worldwide, human population is increasing rapidly. The oceans are at record high temperatures for 5 of the last years. The worldwide coral will be down to 15% in 30 years or less. Fish populations have to migrate to new areas. Killer whales are attacking boats in the Mediterranean Sea and scientists don't know why.
-------Under such UNSTABLE CONDITIONS is it any wonder that the Seafood restaurants ARE affected. -----Adversely.

My understanding of killer whales attacking boats is it is a retaliatory action.....other whales have been hit by said boats and its their response to it. Unscientific but definitely reported as such

Yes....but would you ‘cut the grass’ even if all that was available to you was a gas mower, trimmer and blower. Mangia!

The Villages Red Lobster used to have a waiting line, then prices and portions started to change, many Villagers are smart enough to know when things are going down hill.

That's less than 3% of their restaurants. Good companies know when to close down underperforming stores.

At least there will always be Soylent Green. :mmmm:

My wife and I ate at one of those on the closing list about six months ago. Very disappointed and vowed never to return. I guess there are others with our same opinion. We used to enjoy going to Red Lobster but had not visited in years as we had moved to an ocean side town with places where you could watch your dinner being unloaded from the boat and carried into the kitchen. Sad.

I'm not much of an economist (my wife handles that) but I did some checking to see just how restaurant costs break down. Several websites give the two major costs after the restaurant is up and running as food costs (a range of 25% to 40%) and labor (30%). Given how prices on just about everything food-related have soared, and given the fact that competent restaurant help seems to be becoming more and more scarce, it is easy to see why restaurants are closing. Profits apparently are razor-thin in the restaurant business anyway, and given those two things it is easy to see how restaurants that don't measure up are closing.

But apparently it doesn't have to be that way. There ARE restaurants that continue and even flourish without huge price hikes, and with loyal, capable staff people. One such is Cam Ranh Bay in Bloomington, MN; a Vietnamese restaurant owned and run by Vietnamese people. Good food, great service and pretty stable pricing: we ate there regularly before moving to TV and even now, when I visit up there, Cam Ranh Bay is a must-stop for me. I've gone there maybe six times in the past four years but the wait staff all remember be and my preferences. Prices have increased maybe 10% since 2020. The impressive part is not just the food and stable prices, but watching how the place runs. No waitstaff person EVER goes anywhere empty-handed (my wife says that is one of the characteristics of a good waitstaff person), and they all seem to work together in a synchronized, almost choreographed manner. Most of the waitstaff I recognize from probably 10 years back.

There are several other like places I've eaten over the years that share these characteristics to an extent. The only commonality is that they are Asian-run, with predominantly Asian staff. They function in the same economy as the other restaurants whose success goes up and down like so many yo-yos, but they don't--AND they do it with only moderate price hikes, if that.

Why is that?

Why?
Because you’re comparing a single, family owned and operated establishment with one that is part of a conglomerate. Obviously the example you gave is that of a family who sunk their own money into the operation coupled with the commitment of that family ....daily to its success. Again, quality over quantity.

Large mega cap companies have been laying off people for almost a year. Facebook, IBM, Google, Microsoft, finance giants like Goldman Sachs, and manufacturers like Dow had large layoffs last year. Facebook laid off 10,000 in March of 2023

The economy is getting really terrible that’s why a lot of businesses are hurting!

These statements are not based on facts. Coral reefs are not doing poorly and great recovery from bleaching events have been found to be much faster than expected. Coral thrives in warm water.

Worldwide population growth has been on the decline for decades.

You’re exactly right & a 30 to $40. bill they want a 10 to $14. tip. When I die my wife’s money will go fast but she’s the kind of a lady that can really do without if she has to!

The only surprise about RL is how the heck did they last so long?