MW Bye-bye, Bahama Breeze: Olive Garden parent gives up on restaurant chain after years of struggles

By Tomi Kilgore

Darden will permanently close 14 Bahama Breeze restaurants and convert the remaining 14 into other brands

The Bahama Breeze restaurant chain is closing, with half of the restaurants being shuttered and the other half converting to parent company Darden's other brands, which include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Ruth's Chris Steak House.

The Bahama Breeze restaurant chain will be no more, just as it was turning 30 years old.

Darden Restaurants $(DRI)$, the parent company of other restaurant brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, said Tuesday it has decided to close half of its 28 remaining Bahama Breeze restaurant and reformat the rest to other restaurant brands.

Bahama Breeze, which opened its first restaurant in 1996, has been a sore spot for Darden for years. Since the middle of 2015, the number of Bahama Breeze restaurants had dropped by about 22%, while the overall number of Darden restaurants have increased by 42%, to 2,159 as of November 2025.

In June, the company said it had initiated a review of strategic alternatives for Bahama Breeze, including a potential sale or a conversion of the brand. On Tuesday, Darden said it completed the review and decided it will no longer support the brand; it will permanently close 14 Bahama Breeze restaurants and convert the remaining 14 into other Darden brands over the next 12 to 18 months. (See below for the locations of the closures and conversions.)

The company didn't say which brands would replace the Bahama Breeze locations. Darden's current brands, listed by the number of restaurant currently operating, include: Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Chuy's, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V's, Bahama Breeze and The Capital Burger.

Darden said it didn't expect the moves to have much of an impact on its financial results. And investors didn't seem too concerned, as the stock was rising 1.6% in recent afternoon trading. It has tacked on 2.3% over the past 12 months, while the S&P 500 index SPX has advanced more than 14%.

Bahama Breeze didn't offer the cheapest dinner out to customers of Darden's brands. As of mid-2025, the average check per person was about $35. That compared with an average check per person of $24 at Olive Garden, $28 at LongHorn Steakhouse, and $104.50 at Ruth's Chris.

The Bahama Breeze restaurants that are being converted are expected to remain open, except for any temporary closures needed for the conversion. Here are the addresses of the 14 restaurants that will be converted to other Darden-brand restaurants:

-- 499 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, Fla.

-- 805 Brandon Town Center Drive, Brandon, Fla.

-- 14701 S Tamiami Trail, Ft. Myers, Fla.

-- 8160 Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy., Kissimmee, Fla.

-- 25830 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz, Fla.

-- 5620 W. Oak Ridge Road, Orlando, Fla.

-- 8849 International Drive, Orlando, Fla.

-- 8735 Vineland Ave., Orlando, Fla.

-- 1200 N Alafaya Drive, Orlando, Fla.

-- 3045 N Rocky Point Drive East, Tampa, Fla.

-- 755 Earnest W Barrett Pkwy NW, Kennesaw, Ga.

-- 570 Cross Creek Mall, Fayetteville, N.C.

-- 7811 Rivers Ave., Charleston, S.C.

-- 4554 Virginia Beach, Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va.

Here are the address of the 14 restaurants to be permanently closed:

-- 500 Center Blvd., Newark, Del.

-- 3590 Breckenridge Blvd., Duluth, Ga.

-- 12395 SW 88 St., Miami

-- 10205 Rivercoast Drive, Jacksonville, Fla.

-- 1251 West Osceola Pkwy., Kissimmee, Fla.

-- 11000 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, Fla.

-- 1540 Rinehart Road, Sanford, Fla.

-- 19600 Haggerty Road, Livonia, Mich.

-- 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill, N.J.

-- 3309 Wake Forest Drive, Raleigh, N.C.

-- 320 Goddard Blvd., King of Prussia, Pa.

-- 6100 Robinson Center Drive, Pittsburgh

-- 2714 Potomac Mills Circle, Woodbridge, Va.

-- 15700 Southcenter Pkwy., Tukwila, Wash.

-Tomi Kilgore

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February 03, 2026 15:08 ET (20:08 GMT)

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