The Caribbean-Inspired Chain Restaurant That Abruptly Closed Locations In 8 States
Caribbean-themed eatery Bahama Breeze just made it harder for you to indulge in its dishes such as Coconut Shrimp, Seafood Paella, and those boozy island cocktails. The tropical eatery, which is a chain owned by Darden Restaurants (which also owns Olive Garden, Ruth's Chris, and Longhorn Steakhouse), abruptly closed 15 locations -- over a third of its restaurants -- across eight states. It's just another setback for popular restaurant chains that you might have grown up dining at regularly in an age where many Americans are stepping back from casual dining options.
The closures came as a shock to many customers, who found out as they walked up to the restaurant ready to eat only to find signs posted on the door. According to a Bahama Breeze spokesperson, the closures are related to those locations' performances, and other busier, top-performing locations remain in operation (hopefully, there's still one near you). The states where those surprising closures took place are Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Michigan.
Read more: 15 Failed Restaurant Chains We Actually Miss
After the recent closures of the 15 Bahama Breeze restaurants, there are under 30 locations left to dine at. The majority of the chain's existing restaurants are in Florida in cities including Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. In some states, such as Delaware, New Jersey, and Washington, there is only one Bahama Breeze left in existence. Other states where you can still find an open Bahama Breeze include Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, where there are two locations.
It all began in Orlando, Florida, back in 1996 for the Caribbean-themed restaurant. Since then, the casual chain grew to operate dozens of locations at one point. Bahama Breeze aims to immerse you in a tropical environment with Caribbean-inspired dishes and drinks, beach-themed decor, and even live music. The chain ranked 10 out of 26 with its jerk chicken pasta in our chain restaurant pasta dish ranking in 2023, so things might have gone downhill since then.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
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