Red Lobster’s new owner has decided to keep the seafood chain’s headquarters in Orlando.That’s according to Mark Lane, director of corporate communications for Fortress Investment Group, the firm that controls new owner RL Investor Holdings LLC. The restaurant chain moved into downtown’s CNL Center I building in 2015.Lane also said Damola Adamolekun, Red Lobster’s next CEO, will move to Orlando, though a moving date has not been set yet. This is true to form for Adamolekun, who when he became CEO of P.F. Chang’s, built a home in and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where the restaurant chain is based.expandDamola Adamolekun will be Red Lobster’s next CEO.Fortress Investment GroupIt could have gone another way. When Fortress-owned SPB Hospitality — a company created to bail out Logan’s Steakhouse owner CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. — took over Logan’s, operations moved to Houston. Most of Red Lobster’s former CEOs resided in Orlando while in the role, except for Jonathan Tibus — an industry veteran known for short stints and quick turnarounds at national restaurant chains. Tibus maintained his home in Atlanta during his six months in the position, traveling to Orlando frequently for meetings and court hearings for the company’s Chapter 11 case. Related: Orlando-based Buca di Beppo restaurant chain may sell to this bidderAt a Sept. 5 hearing at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando, Judge Grace Robson approved Red Lobster’s reorganization plan, clearing the way for new ownership to operate the company as it emerges from the bankruptcy process. While transfer of operations can take months, Fortress could be at the wheel as soon as October, thanks to details refined in the reorganization plan. The transaction involves an equity transfer, where the buyer receives equity in the reorganized company, instead of buying the company’s assets outright. This approach allows Red Lobster’s new owner to maintain operational continuity by keeping the existing structure, contracts and liquor licenses in place. More restaurant news: James Beard-nominated restaurateur to open oceanfront eatery in Daytona BeachScott Shuker, an Orlando-based business bankruptcy attorney with Shuker & Dorris P.A., noted that delays in liquor license transfers can seriously impact a restaurant’s revenue and viability. Red Lobster restaurants won’t encounter that problem, thanks to the terms of the deal, according to court filings. Meanwhile, Red Lobster’s downtown headquarters are in good company, as Electronic Arts, Assured Partners, Sonesta and Granite Telecommunications all moved into the submarket in recent years, partly due to incentives from Orlando’s Community Redevelopment Agency.Another new neighbor is on the way, with Travel + Leisure moving its national headquarters downtown in late 2025 or early 2026.Sign up for the Business Journal’s free morning and afternoon daily newsletters to receive the latest business news affecting Orlando. Download the free OBJ app for breaking news alerts on your phone.RankPrior RankCompany 11Orange County Public Schools22Orange County Government33City of Orlando View this list …
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