Equipment at Lewiston’s Red Lobster up for auction online

Equipment at Lewiston’s Red Lobster, which is now closed, is being auctioned now through 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the website of a business CNN describes as a leading restaurant liquidator.

TAGeX Brands is promoting the sale as “the largest restaurant equipment auction ever” on its website.

A collection of items from Lewiston’s Red Lobster at 2115 Thain Road is being auctioned, along with gear from more than 50 of the chain's other restaurants across the country, according to TAGeX Brands website.

Red Lobster has more than 700 locations around the world, according to its website.

“These auctions are WINNER TAKES ALL – meaning, each winner will receive the ENTIRE contents of the Red Lobster they bid on,” according to TAGeX Brand’s website.

The equipment is being sold as is, where is and not tested, according to TAGeX Brands’ website.

“Winning bidders are responsible for the appropriate removal and loading of their items,” according to TAGeX Brand’s website. “No one on site can assist with disconnect, removal or loading items.”

The more than 50 items that are being sold as a single lot at Lewiston’s Red Lobster include decor, refrigerators, freezers (one described as being for breaded shrimp), chairs, tables, microwave ovens, a four-burner saute range, a charbroiler, television, margarita slush machine and lobster tank, according to TAGeX Brands’ website. The list is subject to change.

Perishable goods and alcohol are not part of the sale and all purchases have to be picked up by the end of Friday or the purchase will be “forfeited without a refund,” according to TAGeX Brands’ website.

Based in Rochester, N.Y., TAGeX Brands is the world’s largest after-marketplace for restaurant and food equipment and supplies, according to its website.

“Whether buying, selling, moving, storing or any other facility/equipment life-cycle event, we are the resource epicenter for headache relief with white glove service,” according to TAGeX Brands’ website.

The auctions come after Red Lobster has encountered financial issues, which has been reported by news organizations such as CNN.

“In 2020, Thai Union, a longtime supplier to Red Lobster, took an undisclosed financial stake in the chain, becoming a key shareholder,” CNN reported Monday. “Since then Red Lobster has cycled through four CEOs and an all-you-can-eat shrimp deal last year that slowed down table service and cut into Thai Union’s profitability.

Red Lobster was founded with a single location in Lakeland, Fla., in 1968.

Its atmosphere “is inspired by Bar Harbor, a coastal town in Maine,” according to a Tuesday story in the New York Times.

Despite its challenges, Red Lobster is “still an American institution,” according to the New York Times.

“For many American families, Red Lobster has long been an aspirational dining choice, and for some an introduction to seafood,” according to the New York Times.

The Lewiston Red Lobster opened in 1996 and occupies one of the city’s most prominent commercial lots with a stunning view of the town.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.