Bahama Breeze abruptly closed more than one-third of its restaurants this week, the restaurant’s parent company said.
Darden Restaurants spokesperson Kiara Buckner confirmed the closures of 15 restaurants across several states. That includes five in Florida, four in New Jersey and one each in Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Tennessee.
“We continually evaluate the performance of all our restaurants,” Buckner said. “Closing a restaurant is a difficult choice because it impacts our team members and guests. However, we believe this is the right decision because it will allow Bahama Breeze to focus on its highest performing restaurants and strengthen the brand’s overall performance.”
Affected employees will try to be hired at nearby Darden-owned restaurants or be given severance, Buckner added.
Darden closes 15 Bahama Breeze units. Company says it will focus on highest-performing restaurants https://t.co/70WBXJPEB6
— Restaurant News (@NRNonline) May 16, 2025
The Caribbean-inspired chain has just 29 restaurants remaining. In 2024, sales at Bahama Breeze dropped 7.7%, CNN reported, citing data from Technomic, a restaurant analysis firm.
In Technomic’s recent Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, Bahama Breeze ranked No. 177 in U.S. sales among brands, with $246.7 million in U.S. sales in 2024.
In Florida, a sign on the restaurant in Gainesville directed customers to other Darden-owned restaurants, including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse.
“This location is permanently closed. Please visit a nearby sister location,” the sign read. “We appreciate your business.”
An employee at the restaurant told The Gainesville Sun that he arrived at work on May 14 and was told the business had closed. He said he was invited to stay and help clean up the inside the building.
The Naples Daily News reported its location had closed after just 11 months in business.
Locations also noted their closings in Memphis and Las Vegas via social media and area media outlets.
A sign posted on the doors of the Woodbridge Center mall location in New Jersey informed customers of its permanent closure on May 15.
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