Barbeque Integrated Inc. (or simply Smokey Bones and

doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill) is an American

casual dining Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the US, while categor ...

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

owned by

FAT Brands FAT Brands Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. History FAT Brands began as a holding company for Fatburger in 2017, gaining a chairman in Ed Rensi. On August 13, 2020, Johnny Rocket ...

. Its franchise headquarters are in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. As of April 2023, Smokey Bones has 62 restaurants in 16 Eastern states. Under its previous owner, Smokey Bones had as many as 128 restaurants across most of the United States before it shrank to its current core area.

History

In August 1999, Darden Restaurants, Inc. opened the first Smokey Bones restaurant in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, at the site previously occupied by

Red Lobster Red Lobster Hospitality, LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States (including Puerto Rico), and Canada, as well as in Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, ...

and close to Darden's headquarters. By June 2001, Darden had opened 8 additional Smokey Bones BBQ Sports Bar restaurants in Florida, the Midwest and Northeast. On May 5, 2007, it was announced that Darden Restaurants was closing 56 Smokey Bones restaurants and planning to sell the remaining 73 in its struggling chain. The closings occurred in 22 states, primarily across the southwest and north-central United States. In December 2007, Darden sold Smokey Bones to Barbeque Integrated Inc., a subsidiary of

Sun Capital Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is an American private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. Sun Capital was founded in 1995 by Marc J. Leder and Rodger Krouse, former classmates at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and ...

, for approximately $80 million. On August 4, 2015, Ryan Esko was named CEO of Smokey Bones. Esko was replaced by James O’Reilly in 2019. On September 25, 2023,

acquired Barbeque Integrated Inc. from Sun Capital Partners for $30 million.

References

External links

Official website
{{Barbecue Restaurants established in 1999 Restaurant franchises 1999 establishments in Florida Restaurant chains in the United States Barbecue restaurants in the United States 2007 mergers and acquisitions 2023 mergers and acquisitions

History

See also

References

External links