Markets 
Bahama Breeze is about to blow away for good.
Earlier this year, parent company — Darden Restaurants — announced all Bahama Breeze locations would close down for good, sailing away after 30 years.
The Orlando-based chain revealed 14 of its restaurants would shut down while 28 would be converted into other Darden brand eateries (Olive Garden, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Eddie V’s and others).
As of today, the brand has 11 fully operational locations across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
But the locations won’t last long. The chain told USA Today all restaurants will close by May 2027 and be converted into one of the other Darden chain restaurants.
The first shutter will take place tomorrow as Georgia’s spot is permanently closing down.
The Caribbean-themed spot called last call on the brand entirely after Darden CEO Ricardo Cardenas said in an earnings call it was “no longer a strategic priority.”
“After further review, we have made the difficult decision that these remaining locations and the Bahama Breeze brand are not a strategic priority for us.”
Bahama Breeze gave a full list of closure dates:
- Kennesaw, GA – closing on August 30, reopening as Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
- Fayetteville, NC – September 7, reopening as Chuy’s
- Orlando, FL (Grand National) – September 28, reopening as Olive Garden
- Altamonte Springs, FL – October 17, reopening as Yard House
- Charleston, SC – October 26, reopening as Chuy’s
- Lutz, FL (Wesley Chapel) – November 7, reopening as Yard House
- Orlando, FL (Lake Buena Vista) – February 2027, reopening as Yard House
- Tampa, FL – February 2027, reopening as Yard House
- Orlando, FL (International Drive) – April 2027, reopening as Chuy’s
- Ft. Myers, FL – May 2027, reopening as Yard House
Sadly this isn’t the first — and certainly not the last — big chain to close up shop after years of serving up guests.
Salad and Go, a made-to-order fast-casual spot dishing up salads, wraps and breakfast options, has filed for bankruptcy and closed all locations on August 5.
The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 4, which typically offers the company a chance to reorganize — usually involving a corporation or partnership.
The Arizona-based company’s closures may have come as a shock after the chain opened over 60 stores in just a couple of years and by 2023, it was one of the fastest-growing concepts in the country.
Just a year before that, back in 2022, Salad and Go hired Wingstop’s CEO Charlie Morrison to run the brand.
Read the full article here
