Bahama Breeze is disappearing nationwide as Darden Restaurants closes or converts every remaining location, one of several major chain reductions reshaping Florida’s restaurant industry in 2026.
Fourteen Bahama Breeze restaurants permanently closed in April. The other 14 are scheduled to become different Darden concepts, bringing the Caribbean-themed chain’s 30-year run to an end.
Darden initially declined to reveal which brands would replace Bahama Breeze. Two replacements have since been publicly identified: Chuy’s will take over an Orlando restaurant, while a Yard House is reportedly planned for the Lutz location near Wesley Chapel.
The other 12 replacement brands remain unknown.
Here is the complete list of all 28 affected locations.
The 14 Bahama Breeze restaurants that closed permanently
These restaurants were designated for permanent closure and continued operating through April 5, 2026:
- Newark, Delaware — 500 Center Boulevard
- Duluth, Georgia — 3590 Breckenridge Boulevard
- Miami, Florida — 12395 SW 88th Street
- Jacksonville, Florida — 10205 Rivercoast Drive
- Kissimmee, Florida — 1251 West Osceola Parkway
- Pembroke Pines, Florida — 11000 Pines Boulevard
- Sanford, Florida — 1540 Rinehart Road
- Livonia, Michigan — 19600 Haggerty Road
- Cherry Hill, New Jersey — 2000 Route 38
- Raleigh, North Carolina — 3309 Wake Forest Road
- King of Prussia, Pennsylvania — 320 Goddard Boulevard
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — 6100 Robinson Center Drive
- Woodbridge, Virginia — 2714 Potomac Mills Circle
- Tukwila, Washington — 15700 Southcenter Parkway
The closures completely eliminated Bahama Breeze from Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington. They also removed the chain’s last locations from several major markets, including Miami, Jacksonville, Raleigh and Northern Virginia.
The 14 Bahama Breeze restaurants changing into other brands
Darden selected these restaurants for conversion rather than permanent closure:
- Altamonte Springs, Florida — 499 East Altamonte Drive
- Brandon, Florida — 805 Brandon Town Center Drive
- Fort Myers, Florida — 14701 South Tamiami Trail
- Kissimmee, Florida — 8160 Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
- Lutz, Florida — 25830 Sierra Center Boulevard — Yard House reportedly planned
- Orlando, Florida — 5620 West Oak Ridge Road
- Orlando, Florida — 8849 International Drive
- Orlando, Florida — 8735 Vineland Avenue
- Orlando, Florida — 1200 North Alafaya Drive — Chuy’s confirmed
- Tampa, Florida — 3045 North Rocky Point Drive East
- Kennesaw, Georgia — 755 Ernest W. Barrett Parkway NW
- Fayetteville, North Carolina — 570 Cross Creek Mall
- North Charleston, South Carolina — 7811 Rivers Avenue
- Virginia Beach, Virginia — 4554 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Florida accounts for 10 of the 14 conversions, reflecting how closely Bahama Breeze remained connected to its home state. Four Orlando-area restaurants survived the immediate closure list, but none will retain the Bahama Breeze identity permanently.
The remaining conversions are spread across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Chuy’s is replacing Bahama Breeze in Waterford Lakes
The clearest confirmation involves the Bahama Breeze at 1200 North Alafaya Drive in Orlando’s Waterford Lakes area.
A Darden spokesperson confirmed that the company will move its existing Chuy’s restaurant in Winter Park into the former Bahama Breeze space.
Chuy’s serves Tex-Mex dishes such as enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, burritos and its popular creamy jalapeño dip. Darden acquired the Austin-founded chain in 2024, giving the company another brand it can use to fill suitable Bahama Breeze properties.
The move also gives Chuy’s a larger presence in eastern Orlando while allowing Darden to reuse a restaurant building it already controls.
Yard House is reportedly coming to Lutz
The Bahama Breeze at 25830 Sierra Center Boulevard in Lutz is expected to become Yard House, according to local reporting from The Wesley Chapel Loop.
Yard House combines an extensive draft-beer selection with burgers, steaks, seafood, tacos, pizzas and other American bar food. Its large dining rooms and high-volume format could make it a logical replacement for a spacious Bahama Breeze property.
The restaurant is located in Cypress Creek Town Center near Wesley Chapel. The nearest existing Yard House locations require many area residents to travel closer to Tampa, giving the proposed conversion a built-in audience.
An opening date has not been announced. The Bahama Breeze can continue operating until renovation work requires it to close temporarily.
What will replace the other 12 restaurants?
Darden has not publicly matched the other 12 conversion locations with replacement brands.
There have been unconfirmed reports that the Altamonte Springs restaurant could become Yard House and the Kennesaw property could become Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. However, those reports have not been supported by a Darden announcement, confirmed permit or other sufficiently authoritative source.
For now, those locations should be considered undecided publicly.
Darden’s restaurant portfolio gives it several possibilities, including:
- Olive Garden
- LongHorn Steakhouse
- Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
- Yard House
- Ruth’s Chris Steak House
- The Capital Grille
- Chuy’s
- Seasons 52
- Eddie V’s
Not every concept would make sense at every property. A suburban mall location might suit Olive Garden, LongHorn or Cheddar’s, while a larger restaurant in a tourist district could potentially become Yard House or another higher-volume concept.
The company may also base its choices on which brands already operate nearby. Converting a Bahama Breeze into another Olive Garden would make little sense if an established Olive Garden is located across the street.
When will the remaining restaurants change?
Darden initially said the conversions would occur over approximately 12 to 18 months. Its financial outlook indicates the process should be completed by the end of the company’s 2027 fiscal year.
The exact timing will differ by restaurant. Conversion locations can continue operating under the Bahama Breeze name until temporary closures become necessary for renovations.
That means customers may still be able to order coconut shrimp, jerk chicken, empanadas and tropical cocktails at some locations for now. However, no restaurant is expected to keep the Bahama Breeze name permanently.
Why is Darden eliminating Bahama Breeze?
Darden closed 15 underperforming Bahama Breeze restaurants in May 2025, leaving what company leadership described as the brand’s strongest remaining locations.
Even that smaller group was not enough to secure the chain’s future.
Darden concluded that Bahama Breeze was no longer a strategic priority and began considering several possibilities, including selling the brand or converting its restaurants. The company ultimately chose to close half of the remaining locations and reuse the other half for concepts it believes have better growth potential.
Bahama Breeze opened its first restaurant in Orlando in 1996. At its peak, the chain operated more than 40 locations and distinguished itself with Caribbean-inspired food, tropical drinks, live music and dining rooms designed to resemble an island vacation.
Its atmosphere made it popular for birthdays, happy hours and group celebrations, but the relatively small chain struggled to keep pace with Darden’s larger brands.
The buildings at 14 locations will survive, and some employees may move into jobs with the replacement restaurants. The palm trees, colorful cocktails and Bahama Breeze name, however, are all going away.
After three decades, Darden is not merely shrinking Bahama Breeze. It is eliminating the brand completely.
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