A restaurant chain has closed its only Raleigh location. Here’s what to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Darden announced national closure or conversion of all Bahama Breeze locations.
- Raleigh closed early; Fayetteville remains open and is slated for conversion.
- Darden CEO says only a few Bahama Breezes will be converted to Olive Gardens.
Triangle residents who wanted to enjoy one last meal at Bahama Breeze are out of luck: The Raleigh restaurant has permanently closed.
In early February, the restaurant chain’s parent company, Darden, announced that it was shuttering all locations of the Caribbean-inspired dining concept, which it said was “no longer a strategic priority.”
Bahama Breeze locations across the country would either close permanently or transition into another of Darden’s concepts — among them Olive Garden, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Chuy’s and Seasons 52.
Raleigh’s location, off Wake Forest Road, was among the 14 Bahama Breezes doomed to close. The chain’s other North Carolina outpost, in Fayetteville, and 13 others will be converted into other Darden brands.
The company said in the February release that Bahama Breeze restaurants slated for closure would continue to operate through Sunday, April 5. However, the Raleigh location has closed early.
As of Friday, March 20, Fayetteville’s Bahama Breeze is the only North Carolina location listed on the restaurant’s website.
A reporter’s call to the Raleigh location offered further confirmation. “This restaurant is permanently closed,” the answering machine said.
Reputation of Raleigh’s Bahama Breeze
Locals may remember Bahama Breeze for its colorful exterior, coated in shades of teal and yellow, island vibes and dishes inspired by Caribbean cuisine.
But for some, the restaurant may elicit romantic memories.
In September 2005, former News & Observer writer Mike Williams mentioned Bahama Breeze in a dating column. “Fellas, fellas, fellas, I am here to tell you where and when to go with that lucky lady,” Williams began.
The answer: Bahama Breeze, late on a Friday night. Ooh la la.
“Most guys want to take a girl out to a nice restaurant and spend a little change to impress her. News flash: That is the dumbest thing to do,” Williams wrote. “Bahama Breeze is elegant and won’t rip a big hole in your wallet. Plus, it’s Caribbean. Take her to dinner, have good conversation, then slide outside to the patio bar, where the heavy flirtation begins.”
What will happen to Fayetteville’s Bahama Breeze
What the Fayetteville location will become is unknown.
However, in a Thursday, March 19 earnings call, an analyst asked Darden leaders whether it would be “fair to assume that a good portion of the converted Bahama Breezes would be Olive Gardens,” because the Caribbean-themed establishments are similar in size to the pasta havens where everyone’s family.
To which Darden CEO Ricardo Cardenas responded: “I wouldn’t say it’s fair to assume that most of the conversions will be Olive Garden. There’s 14 conversions. Olive Garden is pretty much almost everywhere Bahama Breeze is. So, I would say it’s fair to assume that the fewest — that Olive Garden will have a couple maybe, but they won’t have a lot of them.”
There is one Olive Garden in Fayetteville — about a mile from the city’s Bahama Breeze.
