After 18 years of serving seafood, the kitschy, tourist-friendly Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. across from the Colorado Convention Center is now closed and being sued for back rent.

The restaurant at 1437 California St. called it quits last week, according to its landlord.

“Unfortunately, we have permanently closed,” says a sign on the front door, which features its smiling shrimp mascot. “Thank you for allowing us to serve the Denver community.”

The restaurant chain came to Denver in 2006 and planned to stay awhile: It signed a lease for 20 years and eight months, through January 2027. After a build-out, it opened in 2007.

The restaurant’s first struggles came in 2016, when construction of two hotels nearby resulted in fewer customers, according to Kent Cherne, whose father purchased 1437 Cal

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