A vacant Red Lobster building along the busy US-1 corridor in Jensen Beach has a new life. Umiya Sushi & Hotpot opened its first Treasure Coast location on Aug. 3 at 3544 NW Federal Hwy, near the Treasure Coast Square Mall, serving all-you-can-eat sushi and hot pot with a Japanese fusion focus.
The new restaurant occupies the same building that sat empty after Red Lobster's collapse, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. The Jensen Beach location was among more than 90 Red Lobster restaurants nationwide listed as shuttered when the seafood chain closed locations in May 2024, as reported by CBS 8. Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands ran online auctions in May 2024 to sell off the kitchen equipment and dining assets left behind, per reporting from The Guardian.
From Bankruptcy to Buildout
Red Lobster's exit from that Jensen Beach address traces back to a bruising financial collapse. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2024 after piling up more than $1 billion in debt, with losses tied in part to its $20 all-you-can-eat “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” promotion, according to The Guardian. The company emerged from bankruptcy in September 2024 after RL Investor Holdings LLC acquired it, restructuring down to roughly 544 locations across North America, Food On Demand reported.
State business records show that Umiya Florida LLC registered its corporate address at the Jensen Beach site in January 2026, listing Yixing Zheng as the registered agent, according to filings with the Florida Division of Corporations. That paperwork was finalized months before the restaurant's August grand opening, giving the company time to redesign the interior for tabletop hotpot broths alongside sushi bar service.
Hours, Ordering, and a Statewide Trend
Umiya Sushi & Hotpot runs daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the restaurant has built in digital order management through Chowbus POS for online ordering. The Jensen Beach opening fits into a broader pattern playing out across Florida, where landlords have been filling former Red Lobster footprints with all-you-can-eat Asian dining concepts — Hoodline reported on a similar Clermont conversion in July, when a shuttered Red Lobster there became an all-you-can-eat sushi establishment.
The commercial strip along US-1 near Treasure Coast Square Mall has drawn attention from real estate investors as a redevelopment hotspot. Phillips Edison & Company flagged the corridor as an active retail redevelopment market in its Q2 2026 financial disclosure, underscoring the demand landlords have seen for backfilling vacant restaurant pads in the area.
New Jobs Along the Corridor
The opening also brought a round of local hiring. Recruitment listings posted in July 2026 for the Jensen Beach restaurant offered starting pay between $14 and $15 per hour for hosts, bussers, and food runners, while server positions ranged from $11 to $26.49 per hour including tips, according to postings reviewed on Indeed. Those wages land within a broader statewide picture: Florida wage data from 2026 put the median annual income for waitstaff at $31,108, alongside a projected 15% growth rate for food-service positions statewide, per Tallo.
