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CNN
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Struggling Pink Lobster is abruptly closing no less than 48 of its eating places across the nation, in line with a number one restaurant liquidator.

TAGeX Manufacturers is conducting a web-based public sale of Pink Lobster restaurant stock, together with kitchen gear, furnishings, tables and chairs. The public sale begins Monday and continues by Thursday, in line with firm founder Neal Sherman.

Pink Lobster areas in Buffalo, Orlando, Jacksonville and different cities have been listed as “quickly closed” on Pink Lobster’s web site, in line with native information reviews.

Pink Lobster didn’t reply to CNN’s requests for remark. The corporate has round 650 areas.

Pink Lobster is reportedly contemplating submitting for chapter safety. The chain has tapped a restructuring professional as its chief govt, a doable indicator of an impending chapter.

The mass closures are one other signal of issues at Pink Lobster and one of many solely occasions in its greater than 50-year historical past the chain has closed dozens of shops without delay.

Pink Lobster was an informal eating pioneer, bringing reasonably priced seafood to middle-class shoppers for the primary time.

However the chain has declined lately as a consequence of a spread of things, together with company mismanagement, say former leaders and restaurant analysts.

In 2020, Thai Union, a longtime provider to Pink Lobster, took an undisclosed monetary stake within the chain, changing into a key shareholder.

Underneath Thai Union’s path, Pink Lobster has cycled by 4 CEOs and an all-you-can-eat shrimp deal final yr that slowed down desk service and lower into Thai Union’s profitability.

The promotion has been a convention on the chain for greater than 18 years, however Pink Lobster made infinite shrimp a everlasting fixture on the menu.

“We should be far more cautious,” Thai Union CEO Thiraphong Chansiri stated in November of the shrimp deal.

Thai Union stated earlier this yr it could divest from Pink Lobster and take a $530 million loss on its funding.

“I’m going to cease consuming lobster,” Chansiri stated.

The explosive development and recognition of fast-casual chains like Chipotle and quick-service chains like Chick-fil-A over the previous 20 years additionally squeezed Pink Lobster and the informal eating sector.

Informal eating has slipped from 36% of whole restaurant trade gross sales in 2013 to 31% in 2023, in line with Technomic, a restaurant analysis agency.

(NEXSTAR) — Crimson Lobster is reportedly shuttering at the least 48 of its places, and a restaurant provide liquidator is auctioning off kitchen gear from the impacted eateries this week.

TAGeX Manufacturers introduced on Monday that it’s conducting the net public sale by way of Thursday, Could 16, for choose Crimson Lobster eating places closing in a number of states. Most notably, California and Florida are dropping 5 places every, whereas Maryland and Colorado are dropping 4.

Nexstar’s KETK additionally reported that three Crimson Lobster eating places in Texas abruptly shut down this week, itemizing their hours as “closed.” None of these places could possibly be reached by way of cellphone.

In Illinois, the mayor of Danville posted a message on Fb in regards to the sudden closure of the town’s solely Crimson Lobster and prolonged his prayers to the affected staff.

“I used to be simply notified by one among our native Crimson Lobster managers that after 31 years of serving our group, with out discover, their guardian firm laid off the complete crew and closed the restaurant efficient instantly,” wrote Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr.

“That is even if they had been rated quantity 15 out of over 600 shops for customer support & satisfaction final 12 months,” he added.

As for the public sale, a number of gadgets are up for grabs – from high-performance ovens to upright fridges and eating room furnishings. TAGeX Manufacturers known as it “the most important restaurant gear public sale ever” on its web site. It’s necessary to notice that the gadgets aren’t being offered individually. Every location may have one successful bidder who will take all contents from the restaurant.

“These auctions are WINNER TAKES ALL – that means, every winner will obtain the ENTIRE contents of the Crimson Lobster location they bid on,” TAGeX Manufacturers famous.

Again in April, Bloomberg and CNBC reported that the seafood chain, which has been a staple of the American restaurant scene for many years, thought-about submitting for chapter. Although, Crimson Lobster has not publicly confirmed this. The report famous that individuals who had been acquainted with the matter mentioned Crimson Lobster was on the lookout for restructuring recommendation to deal with leases and labor prices.

The corporate has confronted some monetary and inner challenges inside the previous few years. Between 2021 and 2022, the corporate welcomed a contemporary lineup of executives, together with a brand new CEO, chief advertising and marketing officer, chief monetary officer, and chief data officer, in response to CNN. All of them reportedly left inside two years.

Then, there was the limitless shrimp fiasco. In June 2023, the corporate supplied its “Final Infinite Shrimp” — sometimes a restricted provide — on their common menu for $20. The try and get extra folks into the shop labored, however it got here at a price.

Crimson Lobster posted an working lack of greater than $11 million in Q3 of that 12 months, in response to Restaurant Enterprise. It’s a loss that guardian firm Thai Union Group mentioned the limitless shrimp deal was a “key issue” in creating.

Thai Union Group introduced earlier this 12 months that it was seeking to promote its stake within the model, citing the impression of a “mixture of [the] Covid-19 pandemic, sustained business headwinds, increased rates of interest and rising materials and labor prices” on income.

Created by Invoice Darden, the primary Crimson Lobster opened in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida, marketed as contemporary seafood for folks of all walks of life. As of Monday, the web site claims that there are over 700 Crimson Lobster places around the globe.

Nexstar’s Invoice Shannon and Brian Farrell contributed to this story.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona moved above Girona into second place within the Spanish league after beating Actual Sociedad 2-0 on Monday.

Sheraldo Becker had the ball within the internet halfway by the primary half for Sociedad however the purpose was disallowed for offside.

Barcelona, although, step by step took management with Raphinha hitting the woodwork after 38 minutes and Lamine Yamal breaking the impasse two minutes later.

Ilkay Gündogan broke ahead and slipped a cross ball to Yamal who made no mistake from 15 yards out. It was the 16-year-old’s fifth purpose of the league season.

“It was an vital recreation to get well second place,” Yamal stated. “Actual began effectively and we took a little bit of time to search out ourselves. However we received higher little by little.”

Raphina accomplished the scoring from the penalty spot three minutes into stoppage time after Álvaro Odriozola was adjudged to have dealt with within the field.

The consequence pushed Barcelona to at least one level greater than Girona.

Actual Sociedad was seventh, a degree behind Actual Betis.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona reclaimed second place in LaLiga with a 2-0 house win over Actual Sociedad on Monday courtesy of a Lamine Yamal first-half strike and a late Raphinha penalty.

Xavi Hernandez’s aspect leapfrogged Girona to maneuver on to 76 factors, one away from their Catalan rivals who dropped factors in Friday’s 2-2 draw at Alaves.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, extra (U.S.)

Actual Madrid have already secured the league title, sitting on 90 factors with three video games left.

“There’s nonetheless a protracted strategy to go. It will likely be a battle to the top. Girona are very sturdy,” Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez advised Movistar.

“It is in our palms now. I believe the crew is superb. Three precious factors. We had some errors within the first half. Within the second half I believe we might have completed it off earlier.”

Yamal put Barcelona forward within the fortieth minute when he coolly slotted house from Ilkay Gundogan’s cross after a fast breakaway for his fifth LaLiga objective this season.

“It was an vital sport to regain second place and we’ve got to attempt to make it a nine-point week,” the 16-year-old Yamal mentioned referring to the upcoming video games.

“Actual did very properly within the first half however then we have been capable of enhance. There was good feeling in the entire crew.”

Raphinha’s penalty in stoppage time sealed victory for the hosts after a VAR evaluation for handball, leaving the Basque aspect in seventh place with 54 factors, one behind Actual Betis within the final Europa League spot.

“Actual at all times make it troublesome for us. They’re at all times very organised, aggressive, you do not create hazard for them,” Xavi advised reporters. “It is an vital victory for us. We performed sport on the whole.”

(JTA) — As Duke College’s president launched the graduation speaker, two cries rang out: first, loud boos, after which, a joyous chant of “Jerry! Jerry!”

Dozens of graduates, some carrying Palestinian flags, walked out of the ceremony to protest Jerry Seinfeld, who has been outspoken in his help for Israel since Oct. 7, the start of the warfare that has ignited anti-Israel protests on school campuses throughout the US. With Seinfeld at his facet, Duke President Vincent Value paused his introduction for almost a minute for the commotion to quiet down.

It was an instance of the sorts of disruptions which have punctuated commencement ceremonies this spring amid the protest motion, which has precipitated some faculties to cancel or revamp their commencements. Value resumed his feedback rapidly, and Seinfeld delivered his handle as deliberate, to raucous applause. Nonetheless, the protest was detectable — and made extra pointed as a result of the scholars seemed to be protesting Seinfeld himself, not, as at different faculties, their college.

“No room for celebration when your college brings a Zionist, pro-genocide graduation speaker,” one wrote on social media, in accordance with a publish shared extensively and disparagingly by a pro-Israel consumer.

Seinfeld, who has by no means made politics a centerpiece of his celeb, has emerged as an sudden pro-Israel advocate within the wake of Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel. Seinfeld visited Israel in December, visiting with households of hostages held in Gaza; the go to elicited a pointy backlash, together with heckling by pro-Palestinian protesters when he attended a speech in New York Metropolis by Bari Weiss, the editor of The Free Press and a longtime crusader towards antisemitism and anti-Zionism, in February.

When GQ journal requested him final month why he selected to make the journey to Israel, Seinfeld answered, “Effectively, I’m Jewish.” He additionally acknowledged the backlash, saying, “Each Jewish particular person I do know was shocked by how hostile the response was.”

However Seinfeld instructed GQ that he didn’t view himself as a crusader with regards to Israel, as some celebrities have turn into during the last seven months. “I don’t preach about it,” he mentioned. “I’ve my private emotions about it that I focus on privately. It’s not a part of what I can do comedically, however my emotions are very sturdy.”

Seinfeld didn’t point out Israel throughout his speech, and he talked about his Jewish identification solely when exhorting graduates to not be ashamed of the benefits they possess, together with a Duke diploma.

“Privilege is a phrase that has taken fairly a beating. I want to take a second to defend it,” he mentioned, including, “I say, Use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege — if you need to be a comic.”

However he did allude to a type of intolerance that some have pointed to as a driving drive behind issues with up to date universities.

“This is in all probability the largest level I would like to make to you right here as we speak concerning humor. … The barely uncomfortable feeling of awkward humor is OK. It’s not one thing you want to repair,” Seinfeld mentioned.

“I completely admire the ambitions of your technology to create a extra simply and inclusive society. I assume it is additionally fantastic that you care so a lot about not hurting different individuals’s emotions in the million and one methods we all do that each second of each day,” he added. “It’s pretty to need to repair these issues however — all caps — however what I want to inform you as a comic: Do not lose your sense of humor. You can have no concept at this level in your life, how a lot you’re going to want it to get by way of.”

Seinfeld’s oldest little one, daughter Sascha, graduated from Duke final 12 months; his son Julien is an undergraduate on the college now.

Seinfeld acquired an honorary diploma from the college, which says it enrolls about 800 Jewish undergraduates out of a complete inhabitants of 6,600. (The college is residence to each a thriving Jewish life middle and a newly expanded Chabad in addition to one of many solely Jewish basketball coaches within the NCAA.)

Seinfeld’s spouse Jessica Seinfeld, a vocal supporter of Israel on social media, wrote on Instagram that the boos had focused the protesters, not her husband.

“Jerry’s speech was wonderful and the grads and their dad and mom gave him a standing ovation,” she posted. “You possibly can’t beat this college. We’re #eternally Duke.”

BOSTON (WWLP) – The Boston Bruins mascot visited Brigham and Ladies’s Hospital to shock nurses and workers with Dunkin’ reward playing cards.

In celebration of Nationwide Nurses Week, Blades accompanied representatives of the Boston Bruins to present out $5,000 price of Dunkin’ reward playing cards within the emergency division. Simply hours earlier than Recreation 3 of the playoffs on Friday, the hospital workers had the most effective morning and are so grateful for the popularity!

The Bruins have been defeated by the Panthers 6 to 2 on Friday and once more on Sunday’s Recreation 4 with the Panthers main 3 to 2. Recreation 5 takes place Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Florida.

David Sanborn, whose keening cry on alto saxophone was as vivid and steadfast as a lighthouse beacon throughout a profession that spanned almost 60 years and included collaborations with everybody from David Bowie to Stevie Surprise, died on Sunday in Tarrytown, N.Y. He was 78.

In accordance with an official assertion, the trigger was problems of prostate most cancers, which he had been battling since 2018.

With a string of crossover hits within the Seventies and ’80s, Sanborn set a sturdy template for the radio format referred to as easy jazz, although he himself by no means warmed to the time period. He had greater than a dozen albums break into the Billboard 200, and gained six Grammy awards — 4 of them in consecutive years in the course of the mid-to-late ’80s. Two of these profitable albums — Straight to the Coronary heart, a solo effort, and Double Imaginative and prescient, a collaboration with pianist Bob James — are cornerstones of the industrial style typically labeled modern jazz.

The important thing to Sanborn’s success was his sound, which ran sweet-tart with a bracing chew, just like the wedge of lime on a salt-rimmed cocktail glass. He’d tailored that tone from his childhood hero, Hank Crawford, a former music director with Ray Charles — however he made it as private as his talking voice, and carried it into a blinding vary of settings. Sanborn carried out at Woodstock as a member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, with whom he logged his earliest recording credit. He may be heard amiably wailing on “Tuesday Heartbreak,” from Surprise’s Speaking E-book album, and James Taylor’s “How Candy It Is (To Be Cherished By You).” His sax famously delivers the opening salvo on Bowie’s “Younger Individuals,” in addition to a operating commentary all through the tune.

Born in Tampa, Fla., on July 30, 1945, David William Sanborn spent his childhood in Kirkwood, Mo. A troublesome bout with polio at age 3 — the virus attacked his lungs, an arm and a leg — led to the saxophone as a therapeutic remedy. Enchanted by Crawford and others, he discovered an obsession; by his early teenagers, he was sitting in with blues legend Albert King. He joined the Butterfield band after shifting to Los Angeles, simply out of faculty.

The flexibility that Sanborn dropped at his musical profession would additionally turn into a trademark on community tv. He was briefly a member of the Saturday Night time Reside band within the early Eighties, and have become an everyday visitor with Paul Shaffer’s band on Late Night time with David Letterman. The expertise led to a short-lived however fondly remembered late-night music selection present known as Night time Music, which he co-hosted with Jools Holland on the shut of the ’80s. Within the present, which was produced by Hal Willner, Sanborn each bantered and carried out with the visitor lineup, which was radically eclectic; one episode had saxophonist Sonny Rollins, troubadour Leonard Cohen, pianist George Duke, spoken-word artist Ken Nordine, and the avant-pop band Was (Not Was). During the last 12 months, Sanborn rekindled a few of this vitality on an interview podcast known as As We Communicate, from WBGO.

By each part of his profession, Sanborn maintained an insistent if inconstant reference to the jazz custom. In 2013, he reunited with Bob James to make Quartette Humaine, a straight-ahead album that evoked the spirit of the traditional Dave Brubeck Quartet. The next 12 months, he launched Benefit from the View, a surefooted soul-jazz outing that includes Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Joey DeFrancesco on a Hammond B-3 organ and Billy Hart on drums.

On the similar time, maybe on account of some sad encounters with jazz gatekeepers, Sanborn maintained a sure humility about his place within the music. “If push involves shove,” he advised NPR’s Scott Simon in 2008, “I’d describe myself extra as popping out of the blues/R&B aspect of the spectrum. However I imply, if you happen to play the saxophone, you actually cannot escape the affect of jazz. So it isn’t that I essentially do not, , wish to be known as a jazz musician. It is simply that I — , I do not know if that is completely correct.”

Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn, who was celebrated for his many years of labor that spanned a number of genres and included collaborations with a few of music’s biggest artists, handed away Sunday, his consultant confirmed to ABC Information. He was 78.

“It’s with unhappy and heavy hearts that we convey to you the lack of internationally famend, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn,” learn a submit on Sanborn’s official Fb web page, asserting that he died “after an prolonged battle with prostate most cancers with issues.”

“Mr. Sanborn had been coping with prostate most cancers since 2018, however had been capable of preserve his regular schedule of live shows till only recently,” the submit continued. “Certainly he already had live shows scheduled into 2025.”

“David Sanborn was a seminal determine in modern pop and jazz music. It has been mentioned that he ‘put the saxophone again into Rock ‘n Roll,'” the submit concludes.

Sanborn, an alto saxophonist, was well-known not solely within the jazz world, however in pop, rock and R&B, as nicely. He launched his first album, “Taking Off,” in 1975, which landed within the high 20 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. He went on to win six Grammy Awards, and RIAA-certified Gold albums and one Platinum album.

Sanborn carried out and recorded with a bunch of musicians from a large number of genres, together with taking part in on David Bowie’s 1975 album “Younger Individuals”; with James Taylor on 4 albums, together with the hit single “How Candy It Is (To Be Beloved By You)”; and with Eric Clapton and Sting on the 1992 hit single “It is In all probability Me,” from the soundtrack to the film “Deadly Weapon 3.”

Different artists with whom Sanborn recorded embody The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Stevie Marvel, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, the Grateful Useless, the Eagles, and lots of others.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche ahead Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for not less than six months with out pay and positioned in stage 3 of the league’s participant help program earlier than Sport 4 on Monday night time of a second-round sequence with Dallas.

The Nationwide Hockey League and Nationwide Hockey League Gamers’ Affiliation introduced the information about an hour earlier than the beginning of the sport with the Stars. It’s the second time this season he’s been in this system. Stage 3 means Nichushkin violated the phrases of this system.

The 29-year-old Russian ahead will miss the remainder of the postseason and the primary month subsequent season at a minimal.

His teammates heard the information as they arrived on the rink Monday night time earlier than a 5-1 loss to the Stars that pushed them to the brink of elimination. They have been outshot by a 16-2 margin within the first interval and path the best-of-seven sequence 3-1.

Sport 5 is Wednesday in Dallas. Nichushkin leads the workforce with 9 playoff objectives this season.

“Val is clearly combating one thing,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar stated after the sport. ”Yeah, it sucks for our workforce. We’ve received to show the web page. We’ve received to go play approach higher than we did right now. There’s nonetheless 20-plus guys in that room that care and wish to win and which might be right here. That’s what we’ve to deal with. It hurts our workforce. There’s no query. He’s an awesome participant.”

Bednar wasn’t keen to journey down the trail when requested if Nichushkin could have let down the workforce.

“I’ve gotten to know Val as an individual and I’ve gotten to know him as considered one of our teammates and I would like what’s greatest for him,” Bednar stated. “I would like him to be completely satisfied and I would like him to be content material in his life, whether or not that’s with our workforce or not with our workforce. I would like the very best for him and his household. I feel all of our guys are the identical. We hope that he can discover some peace and get assist.”

Stars coach Pete DeBoer echoed these ideas.

“On the human facet, you are feeling for any athlete who’s coping with points like that,” DeBoer stated.

Nichushkin was gone for almost two months earlier this season to obtain care from the NHLPA/NHL Participant Help Program for points that weren’t disclosed. This was on the heels of lacking the ultimate 5 video games of a playoff loss final season for what the workforce defined as private causes.

Nichushkin wasn’t obtainable to the workforce from Jan. 13 to March 7 after getting into this system. He turned the second Avalanche participant to enter this system in the course of the common season, following defenseman Samuel Girard, who stated in November that nervousness and despair led to alcohol abuse. Girard returned in mid-December.

In a first-round playoff sequence final spring in opposition to Seattle, Nichushkin abruptly left the workforce with solely the reason that it was for private causes. His absence began after officers responded to a disaster name on the 4 Seasons Lodge in Seattle earlier than Sport 3. A 28-year-old girl was in an ambulance when officers arrived, and medics have been informed to talk with an Avalanche workforce doctor to assemble extra particulars.

The report, obtained on the time from the Seattle Police Division by The Related Press, stated the Avalanche doctor informed officers that workforce staff discovered the girl once they have been checking on Nichushkin. The doctor informed officers the girl seemed to be closely intoxicated, too intoxicated to have left the lodge “in a trip share or cab service,” and requested EMS help.

Earlier than the season, Nichushkin dodged questions in regards to the scenario, saying solely, “I do know you guys wish to discover one thing there, however it’s nothing actually fascinating. I feel we should always shut it.”

Requested after the sport if he might see a state of affairs the place Nichushkin and the workforce might sooner or later reunite, Bednar merely responded: “I do not know.”

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AP Hockey Author Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Because it launched in late 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has usually fended off recommendations that it has feelings or needs by responding that it’s simply a man-made intelligence mannequin. Upgrades introduced by OpenAI Monday confirmed the corporate apparently making an attempt to make the chatbot act extra like a human.

In demos, the brand new model of ChatGPT was able to rapid-fire, pure voice conversations, picked up on emotional cues, and displayed simulated emotional reactions of its personal.

Throughout a livestream from the corporate’s headquarters in San Francisco on Monday, Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief expertise officer, introduced that ChatGPT will probably be powered by a brand new, extra highly effective AI mannequin known as GPT-4o. The mannequin will probably be out there to each free and paid customers of ChatGPT through a brand new desktop app in addition to the present cellular app and internet model.

Murati mentioned the GPT-4o mannequin permits ChatGPT to reply extra quickly to voice, picture, and video enter than OpenAI’s earlier expertise. In demos, she and different OpenAI staff had fast-flowing conversations with ChatGPT, which answered utilizing a liveley and expressive female-sounding voice and nimbly saved up when interrupted.

ChatGPT adopted totally different emotional tones through the dialog and at occasions responded as if it had been experiencing emotions of its personal. When an OpenAI worker mentioned he had been speaking about how “helpful and wonderful” the chatbot is, it responded flirtatiously, gushing “Oh cease it, you’re making me blush.”

“This simply feels so magical, and that’s great,” Murati mentioned, including, “over the subsequent few weeks we’ll be rolling out these capabilities to everybody.”

At one other level within the demo, ChatGPT responded to OpenAI researcher Barret Zoph’s greeting by asking, “How can I brighten your day right now?” When Zoph requested the chatbot to have a look at a selfie of him and say what feelings he was displaying, ChatGPT responded, “I’ll put my emotional detective hat on” and warmly mentioned, “It seems such as you’re feeling fairly blissful and cheerful … no matter’s happening, it seems such as you’re in a terrific temper.”

In a weblog publish Monday, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, highlighted the importance of the brand new interface. “It appears like AI from the flicks; and it’s nonetheless a bit shocking to me that it’s actual,” Altman wrote. “Attending to human-level response occasions and expressiveness seems to be a giant change.”

OpenAI’s tweaks could make ChatGPT extra partaking and widespread, however they might additionally change the best way customers take into consideration this system.

ChatGPT turned a sensation final 12 months due to its outstanding potential to reply questions and generate textual content with what usually resembles humanlike understanding. However OpenAI and main rivals equivalent to Google have up to now usually sought to restrict the anthropomorphism of their chatbots, by refusing to reply sure kinds of questions and having fashions remind customers that they’re mere laptop packages.