ORLANDO — After announcing several nationwide closures in May, a beloved restaurant chain owned by Darden Restaurants is calling it quits for good.
The company’s CEO Rick Cardenas confirmed the news during a June 20 earnings call that the Bahama Breeze brand is closing across the U.S.
“We have made the difficult decision that these remaining locations are not a strategic priority for us,” Cardenas said, per The U.S. Sun. There might be some good news in the long run though, Darden Restaurants is hoping to sell the brand.
“We also believe this brand and these restaurants have the potential to benefit from a new owner,” he added. “Consequently, we will be considering strategic alternatives for Bahama Breeze.”
Bahama Breeze was founded in Orlando, Florida in 1996, serving “Caribbean-inspired food, handcrafted tropical drinks, and a vibrant island atmosphere lets you feel a million miles from home, any day of the week,” per the company’s website. At the peak of its success, the company had 43 locations — as of 2025, that number was down to 29.
The company shuttered 15 locations in May that they considered to be underperformers. Now, the final 14 restaurants will close effective immediately.
“We continually evaluate the performance of all our restaurants,” Darden Restaurants spokesperson Kiara Buckner told USA Today last month.
“Closing a restaurant is a difficult choice because it impacts our team members and guests,” she continued. “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.”
The first states to see Bahama Breeze closures were in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey and New York during the month of May.
Beloved Caribbean-Inspired Restaurant To Permanently Shut Down All Locations first appeared on Men’s Journal on June 20, 2025
