Map shows which locations are open and closed

Caribbean food chain Bahama Breeze abruptly closed 15 restaurants last week, or more than a third of the casual dining chain’s total locations.

The closures leave just 29 Bahama Breeze restaurants in operation around the U.S., with most of the locations in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Darden Restaurants spokesperson Kiara Buckner confirmed the closures to USA TODAY after reports of shuttering restaurants began to emerge on Thursday afternoon, May 15, across multiple states.

“We continually evaluate the performance of all our restaurants,” Buckner said. “Closing a restaurant is a difficult choice because it impacts our team members and guests. However, we believe this is the right decision because it will allow Bahama Breeze to focus on its highest performing restaurants and strengthen the brand’s overall performance.”

Customers were informed of the move via signs posted on the restaurant’s front doors, according to reports from USA TODAY Network papers in Gainesville and Naples, Florida.

“This location is permanently closed. Please visit a nearby sister location,” read the sign outside of the Gainesville location, nudging guests to visit nearby Darden-owned restaurants Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. “We appreciate your business.”

The following map shows where Bahama Breeze locations have closed and where they remain open.

Contributing: Kendall Little, Naples Daily News; Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which Bahama Breeze restaurants are open and closed? See locations map