Amid national shutdown, Bahama Breeze to lay off 62 in Woodbridge

Darden Restaurants, owner of the Bahama Breeze restaurant chain, announced Tuesday it is permanently closing or converting the Caribbean-inspired restaurants to other brands.

In Woodbridge, the Bahama Breeze location is closing at 2417 Potomac Mills Circle, and 62 employees will be laid off, according to Darden’s letter to the state notifying Virginia Works of the impending closure. Bahama Breeze at 4554 Virginia Beach Blvd. in Virginia Beach will be converted to a different restaurant brand, according to the owner.

The company notified the state on Tuesday under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act of the Woodbridge closure.

Tuesday’s closing announcement affects 28 locations, with 14 closing and 14 being converted to other Darden brands. According to the company, about 2,300 people are employed at Bahama Breeze restaurants.

Locations set for closing, according to a news release, will continue to operate through April 5. Converting the 14 Bahama Breeze locations to other brands is expected to take place over the next 12 to 18 months.

The Orlando, Florida-based Darden’s portfolio of restaurant brands includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Season 52, The Capital Grille and Eddie V’s.

The announcement comes after multiple Bahama Breeze closings last year in Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee.

In the WARN notice informing the state of the closure of the Woodbridge location, Human Resources Director Megan Robinson noted that while the 62 layoffs are permanent, the company is offering transfer opportunities to other Darden locations. She said it is unknown how many employees will be able to transfer. Workers do not have bumping rights and are not represented by a union.

Robinson told Woodbridge employees in a letter that the restaurant’s closure was not due to their performance but a decision “made based on the operating environment at and around this location.”

There was no WARN notice posted for the Virginia Beach location, and Darden has not yet specified which of its brands the Virginia Beach Bahama Breeze location will become.

“We’re not disclosing brand assignments at this time,” a Darden spokesperson said in an email. “We’ll share those details as plans are finalized and local timelines are set. Our first priority is to place as many team members as possible in roles within the Darden portfolio, including in the converted restaurants.”

Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press