Two Bahama Breeze restaurants in the Orlando area quietly served their last cocktails on Sunday, as Darden Restaurants pushes ahead with plans to either shut down or rebrand the long-running Caribbean-themed chain. The Sanford and Kissimmee locations closed earlier than many regulars expected, with signs stripped from the buildings and staff already shifting to other roles inside the company. The closures are part of a broader corporate review that concluded Bahama Breeze locations would either be closed outright or converted to other Darden concepts.
Darden’s timeline: half close, half convert
In a Feb. 3 press release, Darden said it would permanently close 14 Bahama Breeze restaurants and convert another 14 into different brands within its portfolio. The company laid out a schedule that has the closures running through April 5, while conversions are slated to roll out over the next 12 to 18 months. Darden also said the conversions should not have a material impact on its financial results and that it is prioritizing placing affected team members in other positions. For the full breakdown of which locations will close or convert, see the statement from Darden Restaurants.
Sanford and Kissimmee closed sooner than expected
On the ground, the Central Florida timeline moved faster than the corporate playbook suggested. When News 6 stopped by the Sanford Bahama Breeze on Monday, the name had already been removed from the roadside sign, and employees were seen leaving after a final staff meeting. A Darden representative confirmed to News 6 that both the Sanford restaurant on Rinehart Road and the West Osceola Parkway location in Kissimmee closed on Sunday. According to the company, all 11 managers between the two locations have been reassigned within Darden.
The company has already placed a majority of its hourly workers elsewhere in its restaurant family. Roughly 66% of hourly staff in Sanford and about 70% of hourly staff in Kissimmee have moved into other Darden roles, according to ClickOrlando.
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