Bubba’s 33 is taking over the former Red Lobster at The Shops at Northfield, with contractors already busy gutting and rebuilding the dining room. The Texas Roadhouse–backed sports‑bar concept is set to bring its scratch‑made burgers, stone‑baked pizzas, wings and full bar to the high‑traffic corner spot. There is still no official opening date, though, so for now the space is a construction zone and any ribbon‑cutting remains up in the air.
Transformation underway
Local reporting and an industry post have now publicly confirmed the Northfield move. According to WhatNow, Denver Business Buzz first spotted the lease, and a commercial contractor later posted on Instagram that "the transformation has begun in Northfield, CO as we start converting a former Red Lobster into Bubba’s 33." The post points to an active pre‑construction and coordination phase inside the old seafood chain footprint.
Bubba’s 33 basics
The concept was created by Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor and leans hard into a menu built around burgers, stone‑baked pizzas and wings. PR Newswire notes that Bubba’s 33 launched in 2013 and now operates dozens of locations across the country. The brand pitches itself as a family‑friendly sports‑bar destination and plays up its scratch‑made dishes in marketing materials.
What was in the space before
The roughly 6,800‑square‑foot corner at 8268 E Northfield Blvd previously housed a Red Lobster that closed as part of a broader round of shutdowns at the chain. Westword listed the Northfield outpost among Colorado locations that shuttered. Commercial real estate data backs that up: CityFeet shows the property as off‑market and identifies it as the former Red Lobster at The Shops at Northfield.
Why Northfield is attracting tenants
The Shops at Northfield has been in the middle of an institutional recapitalization and aggressive re‑leasing campaign, which industry watchers say is pulling new tenants into the center. Mile High CRE reports that Stockdale Capital Partners completed a recapitalization designed to position the property for more leasing and reinvestment. That fresh capital and leasing momentum help explain why a national sports‑bar brand would plant a flag in the Northfield trade area now.
What to watch next
Bubba’s 33 and the property’s managers have not released an opening timeline, so the debut date is still unknown. For the moment, the best clues on progress are coming from contractors and the chain’s local social media accounts as the build‑out moves forward behind the papered‑over windows.
