The Bahama Breeze at 25830 Sierra Center Blvd. in Lutz will close Saturday, Nov. 7, and reopen as a Yard House on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Parent company Darden Restaurants is retiring the Bahama Breeze brand nationwide. The Lutz location, near Wesley Chapel, is one of 14 restaurants being converted to other Darden concepts rather than shuttered permanently, according to a USA TODAY conversion table published Aug. 27.
Darden CEO Rick Cardenas called Bahama Breeze "no longer a strategic priority" in June 2025, according to SeafoodSource. The company announced on Feb. 3 that it would permanently close 14 of its 28 remaining locations and convert the other 14 to different brands. Bahama Breeze, founded in Orlando in 1996, had peaked at 43 locations before a long decline that included 15 closures in May 2025.
The 14 restaurants marked for permanent closure operated through April 5. The Lutz store stayed open as a conversion site.
Yard House, also owned by Darden, is a craft-beer-focused chain with more than 80 U.S. locations.
Florida is absorbing the bulk of the brand swap. Ten of the 14 conversion locations are in the state where Bahama Breeze was born, Artvoice reported. An Altamonte Springs location is set to become a Yard House by Nov. 18. A Tampa location in Rocky Point also will convert to a Yard House, according to building plans filed with the City of Tampa on Aug. 24, Creative Loafing Tampa reported. USA TODAY's conversion table lists that Tampa location reopening in early 2027.
Darden said in February that its focus during the transition would be placing as many team members as possible in other roles across its restaurant brands. The company did not disclose how many employees work at the Lutz location.
When Darden first announced the closure in February, the Wesley Chapel Local Facebook page drew a wave of reactions from area residents.
@WesleyChapelLocal: "Me and my husband's first date was at Bahama Breeze almost 13 years ago in Tampa." — Amy Duffy
The roughly one-month closure between Nov. 7 and Dec. 9 gives Darden a tight window to remodel the space. No details on the scope of renovations have been released.
