Dinner Break! - Red Lobster - Maple Grove, MN

Hey... This isn’t the story I spent the end of August working on!

That story about two Twins games, the ongoing baseball card sorting project, and a few new cards arriving from eBay, may or may not ever be finished. Basically because I’m really not in the mood to write it anymore.

I'm in the mood to write a story about the recently closed Red Lobster in Maple Grove, MN!

But I'll get to that in a bit...

Dedicated readers may remember that my Macintosh Powerbook G4 took a dump on me a few weeks ago. Which isn’t unexpected, because early next year this machine will be legally old enough to drink. Given its age, I am frequently backing up my work, so I wouldn't lose anything if the hard drive needed to be wiped. Main problem being exactly how do I bring it back to life? I talked to my boss at my Macintosh using place of employment, described what was going on with the machine, what I’ve already attempted to bring it back and what my best options are.

He said that my best solution would be rebooting from the system disk and starting from scratch. I figured that was the case. He asked if I had the system disk. I do. But I don’t know where. I knew where they were in Denver, but after a couple moves to and in Minnesota, I’m not sure where those disks ended up. He said he could make a bootable CD of the OS, if the disk drive still worked. It kind of does... I think?

I brought the computer to work with me, he re-installed the operating system and I was on my way. He gave me the CD he burned of it, which proved to be very important. When I was setting it back up to where it was, I screwed something up and had to start all over again. Luckily I was able to do it. On my own this time.

My antique copy of Adobe Creative Suite 3 (which I shockingly found in the first box of stuff I opened) doesn’t work with the system disk I installed, so I would need to go online to download the update from Mac OS 10.4 to OS 10.4.11. Shouldn’t be a problem, right? Well this 20+ year old computer hasn’t touched the internet in over a decade. After about an hour of messing around, I made it find our wireless network, and was SHOCKED when it sniffed out the patch it needed and did all of the hard work for me. After several more hours of re-installing the software I use on the machine, I’m right back where I need to be.

Various computer problems have tied up much of my free time the last three weeks, which has completely killed momentum on the story I was working on. So I think I need to quickly whip one together to get my writing mojo back. Now I need a simple down and dirty subject to cover...

Early last week, my mom texted saying she needed to go to Rob's Vintage Sports Cards in Golden Valley, for more penny sleeves and Top Loaders. I needed more Monster Boxes as well, as I've run out of storage space for the latest round of my big sorting project. Plus, I'd like to see if they had some cheap singles from expensive new releases that I wasn't going to buy. So It became a plan. 

The top three Monster Boxes are new and (for now) empty. The ones underneath aren't even a third of what I'm in the middle of sorting. Another project that keeps taking away from quality writing time. I've made some real progress this year on my goal of getting the bulk of the collection down by another 120,000 cards.

Another text followed up with an interesting nugget of info:

"You might want to take some pictures of the Maple Grove Red Lobster. It closed a few weeks ago."

Oh, now it's definitely happening...

On the way back from the card store in Golden Valley, we'd grab lunch at Portillo's.

Located in The Shops at Arbor Lakes, in Maple Grove.

The Fountains at Arbor Lakes.

I'm not a fan of Maple Grove. Too pretentious, yet devoid of character, for my tastes.

The Maple Grove Red Lobster closed in August 2024. Corporate mis-management (or outright sabotage) coming in as a likely culprit. In recent years, Red Lobster was basically Toys R Us'd. Corporation buys an existing company and shifts over a massive amount of debt to the their new acquisition, which then files for bankruptcy. Sacrificing said business to eliminate old debt. Just one of the many underhanded business tricks filthy rich use to become filthier richer. 

Between copious amounts of that, their disastrous All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp deal, and the ever changing market, Red Lobster is definitely in the red. Restaurants are closing nationwide and they appear to be well into their inevitable downward spiral.

Sure is a plain, but nice looking building though.

Partially smashed P.O.S. setup directly in front of the window. I imagine that at closing time, on the final day of business, one of the wait staff took out years of aggression on that P.O.S. P.O.S. system.

This is the only real interior shot I was able to take. All around the building, the shades were pulled to the bottom of the windows. The restaurant was designed with that typical "New Old" style that's popular these days. High ceilings with exposed beams, open floor plan, with booths and tables laid out in a simple maze.

The main entrance is on the right... Bar's on the left, dude! 

Northwest corner.

Main entrance.

Seems excessively fancy for a Red Lobster.

Front doors, benches for sitting and a smokers pole in the lower left corner.

Nice to see they allowed it in Maple Grove.

Hello? Anybody here? I would just like some Cheddar Bay Biscuits... Hello?

Looking trough the side windows of the between doors airlock bay. Do they really need to post that it's a non-smoking establishment, when Minnesota State Law mandates you can't smoke in any Minnesota restaurant or bar. Seems redundant and pointless. They also left their Purell hand sanitizer dispenser behind. 

Probably doesn't have much value in a bankruptcy settlement.

Since no one is at the Red Lobster for the seafood lover in you, we could just go for ice cream...

But not at the former Coon Rapids Dairy Queen. After being open for well over 50 years, this Dairy Queen closed in 2015. Business was down, management was poor and the building was in desperate need of upgrading. A few years ago, I talked with a woman who was interested in buying it, to then convert it to an American Legion. After looking into what it would cost to bring the old barn up to code, it would have been cost prohibitive for her group.

At that point, I'd assumed it would eventually be demolished instead of refurbished. There would be no real hurry, since this part of Coon Rapids Blvd. isn't exactly high priority real estate. Located roughly half way between my house and my job, I could keep a close eye on changes to the site. Stopping by for pictures when warranted.

Over the last year, there's been more activity at the old Dairy Queen.

The last month has started to show hints of what might be moving in...

They've started to paint the roof bright green. The homesick Coloradan in me, immediately thought DISPENSARY! On the other side of the barn, there is a swatch of bright purple paint on the wall. Is that going to be a trim color, or the top part of the roof? From the looks of things, they are keeping the drive thru window. So what kind of drive thru business would operate here? All I can do is express my hopes for cheap greasy Mexican take out. Something this part of town could really use!

No matter what ends up coming in here, Dairy Queen's new look is a stark contrast to the Maple Grove Red Lobster...

I'd say the new bright color scheme would make the former Dairy Queen stand out, but CR Tobacco & Vape already painted the former Rapids Sports Center bright blue. And that's just an abandoned Carpet City Express away. 

Coon Rapids Blvd... Not nearly as bad as it was 25 years ago, but there's still some sad pockets...

Speaking of metro area former Dairy Queens... The Dairy Queen on Highway 65 in Ham Lake, closed earlier this year. And I was shocked to find out what was going to move into their old building...

Burger Time makes it's triumphant return to the (very northern outskirts) of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area! Opening a new restaurant in July 2024, at the former Dairy Queen in Ham Lake, MN. An easy 20 minute drive northeast from our house! Laura and I went to check it out the day after I didn't eat at Red Lobster. This is the first Burger Time (as far as I know) to offer indoor seating, and the food was exactly as I wanted it to be. 

Hmmmm... They opened this new location only 8 months after my Coon Rapids Burger Time story went up... 

Coincidence?

Burger Time probably saw no point in taking over the Maple Grove Red Lobster.

And that's Maple Grove's loss.

Northwest corner of the Maple Grove Red Lobster.

Which absolutely would still be in business if it were painted bright green and purple.

West side door.

Boring.

Oh look! here's something interesting! 

The Drink Specials menu from April had slipped between the closed window shade and pane of dingy glass. If the Maple Grove Red Lobster was still open, and it was still April, you could drink a Blood Moon for only $8. If that's not to your liking, how about a Crown-Apple Smash, for nearly $9? Would you like more cranberry juice, diluted in alcohol? Maybe a $9 Cranberry Mojito?

For the less adventurous amongst you, there's always the $24 Bucket of Beer. With your choice of such diverse brews as Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light of Miller Light.

With so many options, how can you possibly choose?

Well... You don't have to! You can mix and match. Get one or two of each! Get 8 Coors Lights and pretend you're in Colorado! Get 8 Budweiser's and pretend you’re going to see the NASCAR! Or if you're one of those delicate snowflake types, get a bucket of everything except Bud Light. Because Bud Light makes you gay!

You know who told me that? Kid Rock! He told me with his AR-15 wrapped in a confederate flag!

Bawitdaba bitches.

As I continue my way around the Red Lobster, I take a look back to where I was.

Now looking south to the much larger structure behind the land-locked seafood establishment.

Floor & Decor used to be the AMC Arbor Lakes 16 Theater, which closed in January 2022. The official statement of closure from AMC, directed patrons to the AMC Showplace 16 in Coon Rapids. Poor management led the city of Maple Grove to declare it a nuisance property, in 2019. They eventually cleaned up their mess, but couldn't recover from Covid. Closing instead of continuing to pay the luxury tax of operating in Maple Grove's pretentious Arbor Lakes.

Also kind of behind Red Lobster is Rojo Mexican Grill.

But what I'm interested in, is the label scar for the closed up vacuum store next door. 

A block east of here is Portillo's. They opened this location a few years ago, inside a brand new building that looks like it's 100 years old. I've often ranted about my dislike for the cliché architecture of the last 20 years, What makes every commercial and bulk residential structure look like a box of multi-colored right angles. It was novel and new 25 years ago. Now it's everywhere. It's tired, boring and overused. I've wanted to see a new trend of looking to the past and updating it for today. 

Portillo's brick building is exactly what I picture when I think of that concept. 

Unlike the uninspired brick making up the Maple Grove Red Lobster. That faint label scar is the only identifying brand on the whole building, not even a month after it closed.

Some decent shelving hiding behind the building, betwee the signs.

Poorly discarded restaurant equipment.

And whatever that is.

Wonder if the lobsters ever got to ride in that?

More uninteresting Red Lobster dumpster house stuff.

The roll of stickers on the ground was at least semi-interesting.

Next to the dumpster house was a small assortment of tables and chairs, for the failed Red Lobster Al Fresco promotion. Good seats always available since no one is calling to reserve them. What they needed was some sort of promotion to address that... You could even trademark it!

Amongst the pieces of local memorabilia found while clearing out the folks house, after the May 2020 fire, was this Red Lobster "Call-Ahead Seating" card:

From the looks of it, the Red Lobster Call-Ahead Seating program was from the early to mid 1980's. I don't know if this was a chain wide program, or if it was just specific to the Blaine Red Lobster. Which was casually mentioned a few months ago, when I wrote about its former neighbor, the Springbrook Burger King (now demolished in favor of a car wash). 

That makes it sound so easy!

And that's how you made reservations before that new fangled app with the internet thing.

Looking at the ominous skies above, these tables and chairs are about to get rained on.

Not my problem.

I'm done here.

There was very little of interest and I don't want to arouse suspicion in this part of town.

Too late! Just as I'm returning to the car, I notice the Security at Arbor Lakes is already on the scene. That was fast. I didn't even take 10 minutes for my Red Lobster walk. Guessing there isn't a whole lot going on, so a call of "there's a guy taking pictures..." would result in an A.P.B.

Ahhh... Maple Grove. 

Driving through Champlin, MN, on the way back to Crapids, you'll pass the new Jensen's Market.

Their previous identity was as Jensen's Foods.

Anchoring the Northdale Shopping Center, in Coon Rapids, MN.

Jensen's Foods closed on May 11th, 2024, after 65 years operating in a shopping center that badly needs to be condemned. In addition to the state of their building, Jensen's Foods now faced stiff competition from a new Cub Foods, that opened in 2017, about a mile east of here.

Before moving operations to Champlin, Jensen's owner looked into improving their former location. The building was too far gone for any renovations to make sense. The roof had numerous leaks and repairing it would be costly. The shopping center itself had lost nearly all of its tenants, and has been rumored for demolition for going on 20 years now. 

So Jensen's (wisely) left the Northdale Shopping Center. Which will continue to deteriorate until it finally gets plowed under, in favor of an inevitable new apartment complex. Which should happen any year now, according to local gossip. 

After all, why would you want to invest in a shopping center that has storefronts like this, just a few doors down from your small grocery store?

I remember coming here 40 years ago, when it was busy and fully leased. This particular retail space used to be known as Elaine's Fashions. Which you can read about in my Coon Rapids Monopoly (1986 Edition) story, from a few years ago. Seeing it today (actually June 26, 2024. Hello Mr. Rux!) looking like this, is just sad.

Whenever the plug is finally pulled on the -once important- Northdale Shopping Center, I will have a fun story to write. Curtis Mathis might even make a cameo... Or some spandex leotarded women, working out in front of mirrors of a dance studio. I may have only been 9 years old, but I knew that was worth watching from the enclosed hallway.

Which has nothing to do with the Maple Grove Red Lobster. 

Closed up, but not completely empty. But closed up so I couldn't get a good view of the place.

No sign of a new tenant coming in, and very little of the old one left.

And I'm making a run for it before the Security at Arbor Lakes finds me.

I guess that wraps everything both lobster and urban decay up, and puts a nice bow on it.

Even if that bow is laying on the curb outside a closed up Red Lobster.