Red Lobster Times Square Closure Leads to World's First Edible Billboard Feast
New York, NY - The sudden closure of the iconic Red Lobster in Times Square last year sparked a global movement that has forever changed urban dining, culminating today in the unveiling of the "Edible Billboard." As cities struggle with vacant mega-restaurants, a coalition of urban planners and food scientists has repurposed the abandoned 20,000-square-foot space into a "communal digesting hub." The trend, dubbed "Cheddar Bay Urbanism," sees other shuttered chain giants like a former Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. transformed into vertical basil gardens and hyper-local shrimp hatcheries. "We realized the Red Lobster Times Square closure wasn't a failure, but a blueprint," said lead futurist Dr. Lena Park. "By 2030, 60% of prime retail real estate will be dedicated to vertical aquaponics and edible infrastructure. You will literally eat the city's advertising." Pedestrians can now order Cheddar Bay biscuits via a giant augmented reality menu projected onto the old sign, with proceeds funding urban reef restoration. The viral shift has also created the "Forager-Filmmaker" job, as social media influencers livestream their "harvest" of street-level billboards. Critics warn of "edible sprawl," but for now, the ghost of Times Square is being eaten.