Gulf shores-born Shrimp Basket closes six locations, including Bay Minette. Mon, November 2, 2026 at 12:37 PM MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) - Shrimp Basket, the seafood chain that began in Gulf Shores and grew across the Southeast, has closed six restaurants, including its Bay Minette location. The closures took effect Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the company. The other locations are in Cullman, Gardendale, Tuscaloosa and Auburn, Alabama, and the Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida. Shrimp Basket traces its beginnings to Gulf Shores in 1993. The company's history says two local residents opened a casual, family-focused seafood restaurant there before the brand expanded to serve customers beyond the beach. The brand was acquired by Artistry Restaurants in May 2020. Artistry, a Florida-based restaurant group, says it has built a portfolio of seven brands with locations across the Southeast. Artistry said the closures are part of a strategy to focus Shrimp Basket's resources on its 12 remaining beach and coastal restaurants. The company said the Pensacola-area locations were close to one another, while the Alabama closures were in inland areas of the state. The company said it hopes to retain affected employees and work with them to find transfer opportunities at other Shrimp Basket locations. SPONSORED CONTENT MORE TO EXPLORE

Shrimp Basket closes Tuscaloosa location & 5 others as chain pulls back to coastal spots. The Shrimp Basket on Tuscaloosa's McFarland Boulevard closed Sunday, one of six locations the chain's parent company shut down as it pulls back to the coast. Artistry Restaurants, which is headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, announced Monday that it closed Shrimp Basket restaurants in Tuscaloosa, Bay Minette, Cullman, Gardendale and Auburn, along with the Warrington location in Pensacola, Florida, effective Sunday, November 1. All five Alabama closures were inland locations in the northern and central parts of the state. Get its free mobile app Back to the beach. In a statement sent to the Thread, Artistry said it is concentrating on Shrimp Basket's 12 remaining beach and coastal restaurants. "While never an easy decision, it is our responsibility to the team and our guests to ensure the continued strength of the Shrimp Basket brand," said Bryan Lockwood, CEO of Artistry Restaurants. "Upon re-evaluation and reflection, we decided that our strength comes from our origins as a true coastal seafood restaurant and that returning to our roots as a brand, while directing our resources and future investments towards our beach and coastal locations, will best serve our teams and guests." Lockwood said the shift is meant to support what he called the chain's long-term plan. The company said the clustering of its restaurants around Pensacola also factored into which locations closed. What happens to the staff. Artistry said it wants to keep the employees it has and is working with affected workers to find transfers to other locations. The release did not say how many people the six closures affected. Artistry acquired Shrimp Basket in May 2020. The company said that since the acquisition it has worked with store teams on initiatives including a program called Gulf to Guest, a family meals menu, an employee recognition program called the Big Catch Award and increased marketing spending. For more exclusive coverage of restaurants in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread. Teen's fatal crash, District 5 race & manslaughter arrest top Tuscaloosa headlines this week (10/26 -11/2). 11 of the top stories published by the Tuscaloosa Thread in the 45th week of 2026. Gallery Credit: (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) A 15-year-old from Boligee was killed Saturday morning in a single-vehicle crash in Greene County. The teenager was a passenger in a 2009 Kia Spectra that left the road, struck a ditch and then hit a tree around 9:40 a.m. The driver was a 17-year-old from Boligee, who was airlifted to an area hospital. A third person in the car, a 12-year-old from Eutaw, was also hurt and taken to a hospital. (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) Five candidates have qualified to run for Kip Tyner's seat on the Tuscaloosa City Council, and voters in District 5 will head to the polls on Tuesday, December 8. Qualifying for the special municipal election closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 27. The candidates, as listed by the city, are: (Noah Lueker | Tuscaloosa Thread) A Cottondale man has been arrested on manslaughter and elder abuse charges after a Tuscaloosa County grand jury found that he recklessly caused the death of his elderly mother, who lived in his care, earlier this year. Jonathan Chad Simmons, 49, was indicted September 30 and arrested October 25, according to court records. His bond was set at $30,000. (submitted by candidate) A pet care business owner and animal welfare nonprofit president is running for the Tuscaloosa City Council seat Kip Tyner held for nearly three decades, and the centerpiece of his campaign is a new animal shelter. Tom Sahm, who has lived in District 5 since moving to Tuscaloosa in 2009, said animal welfare is an unusual platform for a council candidate but one that matters to people across the city. (submitted by candidate) A former salon owner whose family has lived in Alberta for generations is running for the Tuscaloosa City Council seat the late Kip Tyner held for nearly 30 years, and he wants people to know where they are when they arrive. Joe Cameron IV, a first-time candidate, said District 5 needs attention, starting with pride in the community. (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) It was packed in Five Points Friday as the new Piggly Wiggly grocery store celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting and hours of giveaways from local vendors and specials on the fully-stocked aisles in East Tuscaloosa. (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) Tuscaloosa's first Beef 'O' Brady's opened Monday on McFarland Boulevard, drawing city and Chamber of Commerce officials to a ribbon-cutting at the sports bar and restaurant. The excitement around the opening - and $50 gift cards for the first 50 guests - also drew a large crowd of patrons excited to try the city's newest culinary offering. (Noah Lueker | Tuscaloosa Thread) Court documents filed Tuesday show Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. is facing criminal charges because he allegedly harassed a University of Alabama police officer from whom he fled last year, including by posting a photograph of the man and his family to Facebook. (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) Business leaders spent Wednesday morning framing yet another Habitat for Humanity house in West Tuscaloosa with construction financed by the nonprofit foundation run by Nick & Terry Saban. The new home will eventually come with unique to this site: a technology and learning package designed around the two girls who will live in it. Alabama is one of 20 states to join the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in suing discount department store chain Dollar General. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, alleges the Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based chain is guilty of "long-running deceptive pricing practices." The complaint claims the company has charged customers more at the cash register than was displayed on product shelves and in advertising. (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) Crews are driving piles for temporary railroad bridge spans near the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater. It's one of the first steps in the final but multi-year phase of Tuscaloosa's project to upgrade and widen Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Jack Warner Parkway, City Engineer Mike Gardiner said last week. The work kicks off the third phase of a job that has already improved Jack Warner Parkway to the east and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west.