OCEAN TOWNSHIP (Monmouth) — It was open for more than four decades. Now, Red Lobster has closed its last remaining restaurant in Monmouth County.

The seafood lovers’ restaurant on Route 35 in Ocean Township has shut its doors forever.

“After more than 45 years of being part of the Oakhurst community, we have made the difficult decision to close our restaurant at 2200 Highway 35. As part of our normal course of business, we continuously monitor restaurant performance and may from time to time choose to close or relocate restaurants like this,” according to a company statement.

The management team and staff members at the Oakhurst location have been offered a chance to relocate to other Red Lobster restaurants, the statement added.

Red Lobster has 16 locations open in New Jersey including Toms River. The East Brunswick restaurant is currently closed while undergoing repairs following a summer fire.

In August 2022, the chain restaurant on Route 18 suffered serious fire damage. The blaze broke out in the early morning hours. Luckily, fire crews alerted by an alarm were able to extinguish the flames quickly but not before the fire caused extensive damage to the kitchen.

No injuries were reported.

Aftermath of a fire at Red Lobster in East Brunswick 8/5/22
Aftermath of a fire at Red Lobster in East Brunswick 8/5/22 (Old Bridge Volunteer Fire Company)
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Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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