Bahama Breeze abruptly closes 15 restaurants: Here's where
Bahama Breeze abruptly closed down 15 restaurant locations this week, a spokesperson told Paste BN.
Darden Restaurants spokesperson Kiara Buckner confirmed the closures after reports of shuttering restaurants began to emerge on Thursday afternoon, May 15 across multiple states, including Florida, Tennessee and Nevada.
"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."
Signs posted on the doors of two locations in Florida informed customers of the move, Paste BN Network papers in Gainesville and Naples reported on May 15. Similar situations unfolded in Memphis and Las Vegas, where two more locations of the casual dining chain shuttered, according to the locations' Facebook pages and local media reports.
"This location is permanently closed. Please visit a nearby sister location," read the sign outside of the Gainesville location, nudging guests to visit nearby Darden-owned restaurants Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. "We appreciate your business."
The Naples Daily News reported its location had closed after just 11 months in business.
Which Bahama Breeze locations have closed?
The following restaurants have closed, as confirmed by a Darden Restaurants spokesperson to Paste BN:
- 3989 Plaza Blvd, Gainesville, Florida 32608
- 2088 9th St N, Naples, Florida 34102
- 1786 W International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
- 2750 Sawgrass Mills Cir, Sunrise, Florida 33323
- 3339 N Federal Hwy, Oakland Park, Florida 33306
- 406 E Golf Rd, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173
- 413 Middlesex Rd, Tyngsborough, Massachusetts 01879
- 539 E Big Beaver Rd, Troy, Michigan 48083
- 375 Hughes Center Dr, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169
- 520 Woodbridge Center Dr, Woodbridge, New Jersey 07095
- 1201 Hooper Ave, Toms River, New Jersey 08753
- 101 NJ-23, Wayne, New Jersey 07470
- 1600 Bergen Town Center, Paramus, New Jersey 07652
- 612 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, New York 11755
- 2830 N Germantown Pkwy, Memphis, Tennessee 38133
Contributing: Kendall Little, Naples Daily News; Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.