[ALERT] Entire Smokey Bones Brand Goes Up in Flames, All Restaurants Now Closed

On Tuesday, Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, a national chain restaurant, closed all of its remaining restaurants.  The casual chain, created by restaurant powerhouse Darden in 1999, peaked at about 130 restaurants but had shrunk to about 20 as of this week.  

Over time, there were eight locations in Georgia - including those in Alpharetta, Buford, Duluth, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Peachtree City, Lithonia, and Columbus.  Most locations closed years ago, while the Peachtree City restaurant closed this past June and is expected to reopen in the coming weeks as a new location of J. Alexander's.  

Smokey Bones is the latest in a series of current and former Darden concepts to struggle in recent years.  Red Lobster, a former Darden concept, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024, while Darden confirmed in February it planned to close or convert all remaining Bahama Breeze locations including two in metro Atlanta.  

Smokey Bones locations in Lithonia near the Mall at Stonecrest and in Columbus at 5555 Whittlesey Boulevard were the two remaining that closed permanently as of Tuesday.  

“We regret to announce that this location has permanently closed its doors as of Tuesday, April 28th. We thank our loyal Guests for many wonderful years,” read signage on the restaurant's front door."

Smokey Bones was acquired in 2023 by FAT Brands, which also owns Twin Peaks and several other restaurant concepts.  In January 2025, FAT Brands spun off Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones into Twin Hospitality Group, its own publicly traded entity, NASDAQ: TWNP.   

A September 2025 announcement indicated that the company planned to convert nearly twenty Smokey Bones to the more productive Twin Peaks brand, but by this past January, the company was in financial straits and declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy to strengthen its capital structure.   

Three Georgia locations of Twin Peaks in Buckhead, Kennesaw (originally a Smokey Bones), and Columbus remain open and operating.  

Are you surprised to see Smokey Bones close entirely?  What would you like to see open in place of the two shuttered Snokey Bones in Georgia?  What is your favorite casual dining restaurant? 

Please share your thoughts below.