Bahama Breeze restaurant at Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila will close permanently on April 5.
The Washington State Employment Security Department received a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) on Feb. 3 about Bahama Breeze, according to a state Employment Security Department email.
The restaurant, 15700 Southcenter Pkwy., employs 93, according to the WARN notice. It is just north of the main Westfield Southcenter Mall. The company is offering employees transfer opportunities to other locations, according to the notice.
Bahama Breeze’s parent company is Darden Restaurants, based in Orlando, Florida.
According to an email sent to employees by the human resources director, the closure was made based “on the operating environment at and around this location.”
“Please know that this closure is not a reflection of the hard work and contributions you made every day in providing an exceptional Caribbean inspired experience for our guests,” according to the email, which was part of the WARN notice. “Rather, the decision was made based on the operating environment at and around this location. After the Company explored strategic alternatives for the Bahama Breeze brand, it opted to permanently close certain locations and convert other locations to other brands owned by the Company. Due to the operating environment, this location will not be converted.”
Darden announced in a Feb. 3 press release that all 28 Bahama Breeze locations will close. Fourteen of those will be converted into another Darden brand. Previously, the company had announced that Bahama Breeze locations “were no longer a strategic priority and that it would consider strategic alternatives, including a potential sale of the brand or converting restaurants to other Darden brands.”
The company said it does not expect these actions to have a material impact on its financial results.
The Tukwila location was the only Bahama Breeze in the West. Fifteen of the locations are in Florida, with others in Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and South Carolina.
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