Bahama Breeze is nearly gone. Darden Restaurants announced in February that all 28 remaining locations of the Caribbean-themed casual dining chain would either close permanently or convert to other Darden brands, ending a 30-year run that began with the first location in Orlando in 1996.
The first 14 closures happened April 5. The remaining 14 are converting over the next 12 to 18 months, and several are actively in the process now.
The second wave is hitting Florida hardest, ten of the 14 converting locations are in the state where the chain was born.
Two conversions have been publicly confirmed: a Chuy's is taking over an Orlando location and a Yard House is reportedly planned for the Lutz store near Wesley Chapel.
The other 12 conversion brands remain unannounced. In the meantime some are still operating as Bahama Breeze while others have temporarily closed for renovations.
The chain peaked at 43 locations nationwide and had been struggling for years. Darden's CEO called it no longer a strategic priority in June 2025, closing 15 locations that summer before the final decision to end the brand entirely came in February.
The closures eliminated Bahama Breeze entirely from Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington state. Coconut shrimp, frozen Bahamaritas and jerk chicken pasta are now a memory in most of the country and a temporary holdout in Florida.