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(NEXSTAR) – Red Lobster locations across the country started closing abruptly Monday, surprising residents and, at least in one case, a city official.

As of Tuesday, 90 locations in 27 states were listed as "closed" on the restaurant's website.

Residents in Florida, New York, Iowa and Illinois, among others, found the stores suddenly shuttered.

“I was just notified by one of our local Red Lobster managers that after 31 years of serving our community, without notice, their parent company laid off the entire crew and closed the restaurant effective immediately,” Danville, Illinois Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. wrote in a Facebook post. “This is despite the fact that they were rated number 15 out of over 600 stores for customer service & satisfaction last year.”

The beleaguered seafood chain will be auctioning off the contents of 48 locations, according to a TAGeX brands, a restaurant supply liquidator. It's not clear if there are any plans to reopen the restaurants not listed.

Nexstar reached out to Red Lobster for more information about the closures but didn't receive a response as of publishing time.

Red Lobster owner Thai Union Group announced in January 2024 that it was looking to sell its stake in the brand, citing the impact of a "combination of [the] COVID-19 pandemic, sustained industry headwinds, higher interest rates and rising material and labor costs" on profits.

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