Smokey Bones Restaurant Has Gone Out of Business

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I don't know if they had this chain restaurant in your area or not. It was an American barbecue restaurant franchise chain. They had been in business for 27 years. They started out being owned by Darden Restaurants, which is the group that owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Cheddars, etc. but they've been sold multiple times since 1999. At one time they had about 128 restaurants over most of the United States, but by January of 2026 they were down to just 19 restaurants across 15 states. Earlier this week the restaurant shut all its doors and has closed permanently. The parent group owner of this chain restaurant is in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. It's unknown whether their other restaurant brands like Twin Peaks or Fatburger will be affected in the future. We ate at Smokey Bones now and again. Not too often. But we liked it. Did you ever eat there?