Bahama Breeze shuttering final locations, converting others to sister chains

Bahama Breeze, the tropical-themed casual dining chain founded in Orlando three decades ago, is in its final stretch. Its last restaurants are set to either close for good or reopen under different names within Darden Restaurants’ portfolio of brands.

Darden announced in February that it had completed a strategic review of the chain and would permanently close 14 of its 28 remaining locations while converting the other 14 to different Darden concepts. The company said the closures were not expected to have a material effect on its bottom line, adding the properties slated for conversion “are great sites that will benefit several of the brands in its portfolio.”

The 14 restaurants marked for permanent closure operated through April 5, spanning Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington state, according to the company’s release. The 14 locations originally designated for conversion — concentrated heavily around Orlando, along with sites in Kennesaw, Georgia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; and Virginia Beach, Virginia — were slated to convert to other Darden brands over a 12- to 18-month window stretching into 2027, though that process is now well underway. The Kennesaw restaurant, for one, served its final meals Saturday and is set to reopen as a Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

Darden’s February release did not name which of its brands would take over the converted Bahama Breeze locations, saying only that it was “not disclosing the specific Darden brands into which these locations will be converted” at that time. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has since been confirmed as the replacement for the Kennesaw site. Darden’s broader restaurant portfolio also includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, Chuy’s, Seasons 52 and Eddie V’s. Darden said the company’s focus “will continue to be on supporting team members, including placing as many as possible in roles within the Darden portfolio.”

The move caps a long decline for a brand that once had 43 locations at its 2014 peak. Bahama Breeze had already lost a third of its footprint before this year’s announcement: Darden abruptly shuttered 15 restaurants in a wave of closures last May, spanning states including Florida, Tennessee and Nevada, before the company confirmed weeks later it was weighing a sale or conversion of the brand entirely.

Bahama Breeze is far from alone. Other casual dining brands have pulled back sharply this year amid a difficult restaurant economy, with chains such as Red Lobster, Red Robin, Hardee’s and Wendy’s all trimming locations nationwide.