Red Lobster closure in Yuma leaves 30+ without a job

YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — Red Lobster’s Yuma location is the latest to be impacted by the company’s bankruptcy. It closed its doors on Sunday and left more than 30 workers unemployed without notice.

The location is one of more than 100 to close permanently since the bankruptcy filing in May.

“I found out through my coworker. She was kind enough to call me and tell,” said Cidney Willoughby, a now former employee of the restaurant chain.

Willoughby has worked at Red Lobster for nearly a year. She said some of her coworkers found out right after Sunday’s shift that they no longer had a job. Many employees say the closure came as a shock.

“It’s very hard, we were short on our rent. I was really depending on being able to work this week. It would have been a lot easier to find a job while still making money instead of trying to find a job all frantically,” said Willoughby.

Finding a job this late into the summer isn’t easy so Westwind RV & Golf Resort reached out to affected employees on Facebook, offering a job to laid-off servers.

“It’s really important that we are a community. They lost their job at no fault of their own and we want to give them an opportunity,” said Joyce Hahn, the manager at Westwind’s Bar and Grill.

The resort is looking to hire at least 10 servers for its winter season, which begins in October. So far, they’ve gotten 22 applications.

Hahn was surprised by the high number of applicants they received.

“These people lost their jobs, and I want them to be employed and not have to worry where their money is coming from,” said Hahn.

There are still Red Lobster locations in Flagstaff, Prescott, Tucson and nine in the Valley.

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