Everyone can relax, your Cheddar Bay biscuits are safe, because Red Lobster is not closing, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Despite the heavy rumors that the chain will be closing their doors, the Sentinel reported that Darden Restaurants Inc., have confirmed the rumors are not true.
Social media quickly reacted to rumors and the "news" spread across the country. "Red Lobster closing" was the No. 1 item trending on Twitter. On Facebook, people responded, "Oh No!" from one poster and "Oh no, what will we do? No more "Robster" from another.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that Darden was considering either spinning off or selling Red Lobster, as part of their plan to boost shareholder value, due to pressure from activist investor Barington Capital Group.
The company, which is also responsible for Olive Garden and other restaurants, reported a 41 percent decrease in quarterly profit. The report also listed plans to suspend openings for new Olive Garden locations and limit the locations of LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants.
Spokesman Rich Jeffers said on Friday that there were never any plans to close any restaurants. The Sentinel reported that the rumors originated from a LA Weekly piece that "was clearly being facetious" about the eateries closing down.
"You had a couple outlets where clearly folks weren't practicing good journalism, and no one called to verify if what they read in LA Weekly was accurate," Jeffers said.
According to the Sentinel, the article has been update to include accurate information, including stating that the restaurants were not closing. Darren has also reached out to all news outlets reporting similar stories and ask that they be updated or removed.
