The Once-Popular Seafood Chain That Quietly Closed Many Of Its Locations

Restaurants come and restaurants go — this much isn't obscure information. However, it can be surprising, or at least eye-opening, to notice how quietly and how quickly some chains virtually fall off the map entirely. And when it comes to restaurants with a certain niche (say, seafood restaurants), you truly might not even realize the disintegration of a once-ubiquitous brand. Such is the case of Joe's Crab Shack, which nowadays only has a scant few locations still in operation.

Joe's Crab Shack was never exactly the largest seafood chain in the world, but the chain once had upwards of 140 locations that spanned coast to coast in the United States. Now, though, you'll only find a total of 15 Joe's Crab Shack restaurants still in operation. So, while it's still possible to visit Joe's Crab Shack if you find yourself in California, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas, they're far fewer and further between than they once were — and you'd be forgiven for thinking the chain had fallen wholly into obscurity.

There are several unfortunate factors that led to the depleted state of affairs that currently plagues Joe's Crab Shack. Namely, product quality and tenuous ownership largely contributed to the chain being reduced to only 15 locations. Sadly, there isn't much incentive for a neutral party to pay Joe a visit these days, as the chain is generally rated as one of the poorest seafood chains in the United States, noted for having seafood that is simply of subpar quality in comparison to other chains. But the story of this chain's downfall goes beyond the food that's being served — it extends to the office too.

Joe's Crab Shack's recent ownership history is perhaps best described as unstable. The brand changed hands in ownership a number of times over the past couple of decades, with one ownership group filing for bankruptcy in the 2010s. This volatile position at the very top of the company's ladder unfortunately translated to the restaurant's products, as there doesn't seem to have been a stable, focused vision for the brand as it swapped hands. And while there are many other red flags to look out for at a seafood restaurant, you can add ownership trouble to that list — at least as far as Joe's Crab Shack is concerned.