Popular restaurant chain closes a third of its locations (here’s where)

10 hours ago admin

There’s nothing worse than pulling up to one of your go-to restaurants spots only to find the dreaded door sign saying that this location has closed.

This may not be your favorite restaurant, but it’s someplace you visit regularly. It’s the right combination of close to where you live, affordable, and good food.

Related: After closing 600 locations, fast-food chain has many more planned

It’s not a special occasion restaurant. Instead, it’s a regular place where you eat a few times a month or maybe even a little more often.

Red Lobster, Hooters, and TGI Fridays, three chains which closed dozens of locations after Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, all fit that bill for different people. Maybe Hooters was your place for NFL football or UFC fights, and perhaps TGI Fridays was your regular Thursday night after work spot.

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The loss of the chains hurts even if nobody truly loves these restaurants. Pretty good food at decent prices serves a role and communities lose something when reasonably priced chains close locations (or disappear entirely).

Now, another popular chain in the sit-down space has unexpectedly closed 15 restaurants without warning.

Bahama Breeze is a small part of the Darden business.

Image source&colon; Shutterstock

15 Bahama Breeze locations shut down

Bahama Breeze only represents a small part of the Darden Restaurants (DRI) empire. The parent company did not talk about it all during its recent earnings call and it’s barely mentioned in Darden’s third-quarter earnings release.

That makes sense when Olive Garden has over 900 locations and Longhorn Steakhouse has nearly 600. Bahama Breeze, at the time of the report, had 43, which put it into the “other business” group, which saw sales drop by 0.4%.

Both Olive Garden and Longhorn posted quarterly same-store growth. Bahama Breeze is a small part of Darden, but it’s a departure from its other chains.

“Caribbean inspired food, handcrafted tropical drinks, and a vibrant island atmosphere lets you feel a million miles from home, any day of the week. Here, you can explore island flavors, discover legendary cocktails, and feel the energy of live music,” it shared on its website.

More closings:

Popular retail chain to close unprofitable store locations
Bankrupt retail chain unloads store leases, key asset
Popular discount retailer files bankruptcy, closes all stores

But, island vibes aside, Bahama Breeze is an affordable gathering spot restaurant like Hooters, TGI Fridays, and Red Lobster, albeit with a slightly different feel.

“Like sunshine on your face, it’s warm and welcoming. A place to gather with friends and share a tasty plate or two or five. No worries. You’ll find your favorite dishes here, but our chef delights in introducing you to tropical tastes and new recipes. And don’t we love to see his smile? Almost as much as we enjoy seeing yours,” it added.

Now, fans of Bahama Breeze have 15 fewer options as Darden has abruptly shuttered that many locations.

Here’s why Darden closed Bahama Breeze locations

Many Bahama Breeze patrons learned that their local restaurant had closed due to a sign on the window or via Facebook.

“This location is permanently closed. Please visit a nearby sister location,” shared the sign outside of the Gainesville location. “We appreciate your business.”

That’s an abrupt way for customers to learn about the shutdowns. Darden Senior Communications Specialist Kiara Buckner confirmed the shutdowns to ABC24.

Related: Pizza chain credited for popular pizza style closes locations

“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,” she shared.

The spokesperson also shared the locations that closed: