Bahama Breeze could be for sale.
Owner Darden Restaurants is considering strategic alternatives for the 28-unit seafood brand, including selling it or converting its locations to other Darden brands. Orlando-based Darden owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and seven other full-service concepts.
The company closed 15 underperforming Bahama Breezes last month, and during an earnings call Friday, Darden CEO Rick Cardenas said the company has determined that it no longer meets the criteria for being a part of the company’s portfolio.
“We think that they have a lot of growth potential with another owner. We were not going to be putting a lot of investment into Bahama Breeze. And so to give those team members and those managers growth opportunities, it's better for them to be under a different ownership,” he said.
Bahama Breeze was created by Darden in 1996 and specializes in Caribbean-style seafood. It struggled last year, with systemwide sales down 7.7%, to $246.7 million, according to Technomic data.
Darden’s other brands have performed far better. The company’s total sales during the 12 months ended May 25 rose 6%, to $12.1 billion, it reported Friday.
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