Getting affordable crab, shrimp, lobster, and other seafood outside of New England used to be a challenge. In New England, at least in the summer, while crab wasn’t common, a twin lobster dinner for under $30 was not uncommon, especially at low-frills “lobster-in-the-rough” places.
Once I left that area, however, getting an affordable meal became such a challenge that I did something few New Englanders would willingly do: I went to Red Lobster. That chain, which has been through a bankruptcy and many shutdowns itself, sometimes had all-you-can-eat crab promotions for under $25.
Yes, that was a terrible deal for the restaurant, but it was a great value for customers, and, after growing up with mostly lobster, it made me a fan of eating crab.
That newfound love took me to Joe’s Crab Shack, a chain that offered buckets where you could have multiple types of crab, shrimp, clams, crawfish, and, for a heftier price, lobster. It wasn’t cheap, but around $60 would get me my fill of crab and various other seafood, so whenever I was near one, I usually ate there.
Now, Joe’s Crab Shack has slowly closed more than 90% of its restaurants. Only 13 remain, according to the store locations list on the chain’s website, and the last new location appears to have opened in 2013.
Joe’s keeps closing restaurants
Joe’s Crab Shack has been a “dying brand” for over 15 years, Pacific Management Consulting Group Founder and CEO John Gordon told SeafoodSource, who noted that during that period, Landry’s acquired Joe’s Crab Shack, sold it, and then reacquired it.
Joe’s Crab Shack used to have 143 restaurants nationwide, but recent closures have pushed that number to 13, according to the brand’s website.
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Darren Tristano, CEO of Chicago, Illinois-based consulting firm Foodservice Results, blamed Joe’s Crab Shack’s problems on the same issues that have impacted rival Red Lobster.
“Red Lobster seems to epitomize the seafood category – highly competitive, expensive protein, high prices, and some consumers just don’t like seafood and create a veto vote on attending in groups,” he told SeafoodSource.
Recent Joe’s Crab Shack closures
- Jacksonville Beach, Fla.: Joe’s Crab Shack closed its longtime location at 6 Beach Blvd. in January 2026. Landry’s planned to convert the space into a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant, according to SeafoodSource.
- San Diego, Calif.: The waterfront Joe’s Crab Shack closed in August 2025 after more than 20 years in operation, reported TheStreet.
- Fort Myers, Fla.: The downtown Joe’s Crab Shack closed on May 26, 2025, after more than two decades. The restaurant’s lease had expired, shared the Fort Myers News-Press.
- Corpus Christi, Texas: Joe’s Crab Shack closed its location on Jan. 26, 2025. Landry’s subsequently replaced it with a new concept, Landry’s Kitchen, reported the Houston Chronicle.
- Kemah, Texas: Joe’s Crab Shack at Kemah Boardwalk closed in November 2024. Landry’s has been converting the former restaurant into an entrance for a planned water park, added the Houston Chronicle.
- Kissimmee, Fla.: The Joe’s Crab Shack at 7903 Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway closed in September 2024. TheStreet
- Louisiana Boardwalk: The Joe’s Crab Shack at the Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City closed in June 2025 after roughly 20 years, reported TheStreet.
Landry’s Restaurant Group has acknowledged the closures, noting that “locations, markets, and customer patterns naturally change,” and the company makes strategic decisions to close certain locations when traffic and development shifts warrant them.
The company, which is privately held, has not released a broader statement about the overall reduction of Joe’s Crab Shack locations nationwide.
A new type of seafood restaurant has grown
While Red Lobster and Joe’s Crab Shack used to set the standard for sit-down seafood chains, a new format has been growing, the seafood boil.
“A staple of Black Southern cuisine, especially in the U.S. state of Louisiana, the seafood boil has achieved national recognition, with chains such as The Juicy Crab expanding rapidly – it now has 52 restaurants in 10 states,” SeafoodSource reported.
It’s not just a restaurant trend.
“Grocery chains including HEB and Rouse’s have begun selling seafood boils to go, and Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.-based Two Fish Distribution is expanding distribution to 1,000 retail locations, including Kroger and Meijer outlets,” the industry source shared.
Seafood boils, which are not unlike the buckets sold at Joe’s Crab Shack, have been added to Red Lobster’s menu and have been growing in popularity.
“The communal feasts, typically served in a plastic bag or spread across a paper-lined tabletop, have caught a wave of popularity in recent years, giving rise to a number of upstart seafood concepts,” Restaurant Business shared.
It’s a growing trend that may have taken sales away from legacy chains like Joe’s Crab Shack.
“Chains specializing in seafood boils, such as 68-unit Hook & Reel and 26-unit Boiling Crab, have enjoyed a mini-boom in recent years. Last year, sales at seafood boil chains on Technomic’s Top 500 rose by an average of 3.8%, while overall seafood sales fell 0.3%,” according to Restaurant Business.
As a former regular Joe’s Crab Shack customer, I often went to the now-closed Kissimmee, Fla., location when we had a condo near there, but the chain lost its appeal once seafood boils became common. On Irlo Bronson, a busy street that runs through Kissimmee to Orlando, which used to have two Joe’s Crab Shack locations about six miles apart, there are at least three seafood boil chains.
That may not fully explain the chain’s decline, but being able to get a very similar product for less money can’t have been a positive for Joe’s Crab Shack sales.
