Darden Restaurants is shuttering two more Bahama Breeze spots this month and converting others as the Olive Garden parent winds down its Caribbean-themed chain.
The Sun reported that the Altamonte Springs, Florida, location closes October 17 and the Charleston, South Carolina, site closes October 26, with replacements already lined up under stronger Darden brands.
The moves are part of a full overhaul. Darden is closing or converting every Bahama Breeze restaurant and has already said the remaining spots are no longer a strategic priority.
The Altamonte Springs Bahama Breeze will make room for a Yard House. That new restaurant is expected to open November 18.
In Charleston, the Bahama Breeze will be replaced by a Chuy’s. That opening is also targeted for November 18.
More closures are already on the calendar. Another Bahama Breeze is set to close in November. Two more follow in February. One is slated for April and another for May.
Darden has already shut 14 Bahama Breeze locations across nine states: Delaware, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington. LongHorn Steakhouse has taken over select former Bahama Breeze sites, including in New York.
Fewer than a dozen of the original 28 restaurants remain. The company is converting roughly half the footprint while it looks at what comes next for the brand.
Darden Restaurants CEO Rick Cardenas laid out the decision in plain terms.
Cardenas said:
"We have made the difficult decision that these remaining locations are not a strategic priority for us."
He added that a different owner might get more out of the concept.
Cardenas said:
"We also believe this brand and these restaurants have the potential to benefit from a new owner."
And he confirmed the next step.
Cardenas said:
"Consequently, we will be considering strategic alternatives for Bahama Breeze."
Bahama Breeze opened in 1996 in Orlando with a Caribbean-inspired menu. It grew into a national sister brand under the same corporate roof as Olive Garden. That chapter is now ending.
Beyond the two October closures, conversion work is underway at multiple Florida sites, including Brandon, Fort Myers, Kissimmee on Bronson Memorial Highway, Lutz, Tampa, and four Orlando locations.
Additional conversion sites include Kennesaw, Georgia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Darden’s wider portfolio gives it ready replacements. The company owns Yard House, Chuy’s, LongHorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s, and Olive Garden.
While Bahama Breeze shrinks, Darden is expanding elsewhere. The company has announced plans for 65 new locations across most of its top brands.
That is the trade-off in plain view. Capital and attention move to the concepts that still fit the strategy. The ones that do not get closed, converted, or shopped.
Market reality does not pause for nostalgia. When a chain stops delivering, the parent company either fixes it, sells it, or folds it, and Darden is doing the latter two.