Shrimp Basket has closed six restaurants across two states, leaving consumers with fewer places to grab a seafood meal as its parent company continues reshaping its restaurant portfolio.
The closures come as several other seafood restaurant chains, including Red Lobster, Bonefish Grill, Long John Silver’s, and Joe’s Crab Shack, navigate their own business challenges.
The move follows a similar decision involving another Artistry-owned restaurant brand, highlighting the company’s effort to concentrate resources on locations and concepts it believes have stronger long-term potential.
Founded in 1993 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Shrimp Basket is a fast-casual seafood restaurant chain with locations across Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The chain was acquired by Artistry in 2020, which owns several restaurant concepts, including Hickory Tavern, The Chapman, Boca, Oak & Stone, Atlantic Beer and Oyster, Sandbar Amelia Island, and Shrimp Basket.
Shrimp Basket closes six restaurants
Shrimp Basket has closed six restaurants as of Nov. 1, across Alabama and Florida. The affected locations include:
- Bay Minette, Alabama: 1111 US-31
- Cullman, Alabama: 716 2nd Ave NW
- Gardendale, Alabama: 550 Fieldstown Rd #100
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama: 3429 McFarland Blvd E #2421
- Auburn, Alabama: 1651 S. College St
- Pensacola, Florida: 709 N. Navy Blvd
The closures leave Shrimp Basket with 12 restaurants, concentrated in beach and coastal markets, according to the chain’s store locator. Artistry believes these coastal markets are better positioned to support Shrimp Basket’s long-term success.
For customers in the affected communities, the shutdowns mean fewer nearby dining options at the seafood chain.
“While never an easy decision, it is our responsibility to the team and our guests to ensure the continued strength of the Shrimp Basket brand,” said Artistry CEO Bryan Lockwood, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
“Upon re-evaluation and reflection, we decided that our strength comes from our origins as a true coastal seafood restaurant and that returning to our roots as a brand, while directing our resources and future investments towards our beach and coastal locations, will best serve our teams and guests,” he said.
Why Shrimp Basket is closing locations
Artistry’s decision reflects a shift toward coastal markets, which Lockwood identified as central to Shrimp Basket’s long-term strategy.
The company also cited market-specific considerations behind the closures. In the Pensacola area, the proximity of existing Shrimp Basket restaurants influenced the decision, FSR Magazine reported. In Alabama, the shutdowns primarily affected inland locations across the northern and central portions of the state.
Since acquiring Shrimp Basket in 2020, Artistry has introduced several initiatives to strengthen the chain’s appeal to consumers. These include its Gulf to Guest program, value-oriented family meals, menu updates, and expanded marketing and social media efforts.
The strategy allows the company to concentrate investments on coastal locations it believes can better support Shrimp Basket’s long-term growth and customer experience.
Artistry has closed several restaurants across its brands
Shrimp Basket is not the only Artistry-owned restaurant concept to reduce its locations.
The company previously closed four Hickory Tavern restaurants across North Carolina and South Carolina, bringing the chain’s footprint down to 16 locations. Those shutdowns were also part of an effort to focus resources on restaurants with stronger long-term prospects.
Following the acquisition of Hickory Tavern in 2025, Artistry introduced menu updates, restaurant redesigns, new operating standards, and supplier partnerships to strengthen the brand.
However, the company is also pursuing expansion opportunities elsewhere in its portfolio. Earlier in 2026, Artistry revealed plans to grow its Oak & Stone brand by opening two locations in Texas.
Together, these moves reflect Artistry’s efforts to reshape its restaurant portfolio by closing locations it considers less viable while investing in concepts and markets it believes have greater potential for long-term growth.
Here’s some of my previous coverage of restaurant closures:
- Bonefish Grill: Permanently closed its Brick Township, New Jersey, location in October 2026 after approximately 20 years, following several closures by its parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, across its other brands.
- Red Lobster: Closed at least 20 restaurants in 2026 following mass closures across its fleet as the company works to turn around its business post-bankruptcy.
Related: Bonefish Grill closes another restaurant as parent company cuts locations
