SANFORD, Fla. \u2013 The final day for the Bahama Breeze restaurant located on Rinehart Road in Sanford was Sunday, March 15, a representative with Darden Restaurants confirmed with News 6. <\/p>\n
On Monday, when our News 6 team visited the restaurant, the Bahama Breeze name had already been removed from the sign, and workers were leaving after their last meeting.<\/p>\n
One of them told our crew that they previously thought the last day would be April 5, but they learned this weekend that wasn\u2019t the case. <\/p>\n
\u2018I was in there crying because a lot of people have been here for years,” she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like their second home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Darden Restaurants announced that all 28 locations<\/a> were \u201cno longer a strategic priority\u201d and would be sold or converted into other existing Darden brands<\/a>. Fourteen locations, including the one in Sanford, would close, and plans to convert the remaining 14 would be complete over the next 12 -18 months. <\/p>\n [WATCH: Bahama Breeze restaurants in Florida are closing permanently, company says]<\/p>\n A representative with Darden told News 6 on Monday that the Sanford location, as well as the Bahama Breeze on West Osceola Parkway, closed Sunday. One of the reasons why they closed earlier was that staff were already being given opportunities to work at other Darden locations, according to the rep. <\/p>\n Darden said placing as many of these employees in other roles is a priority. News 6 was told that both management teams at the Sanford and Kissimmee locations \u2014 11 people in total \u2014 were moved to other roles within the company. A representative said the company was also making progress in placing 66% of the hourly staff in Sanford elsewhere, and 70% of the hourly staff in Kissimmee. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have options to go to other Darden concepts, and we\u2019ll be OK,\u201d one former employee told News 6 on Monday. \u201cDarden is a great company to work for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u20182.8% profit margins\u2019<\/p>\n Darden is not the only company that has been forced to make changes in a mixed economic landscape. The area around the Seminole Towne Center has seen concepts come and go, including a Red Lobster location that remains closed. <\/p>\n Dr. Chad Moutray, chief economist with the National Restaurant Association, spoke with our News 6 team about the rising costs many restaurants are facing. <\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is it\u2019s very difficult to be a restaurant owner right now,\u201d said Dr. Moutray. \u201cCosts have gone up a lot over the last few years. We certainly have seen wage and food inflation of at least 35% since the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Moutray said at the same time, consumers are tightening their budgets too. <\/p>\n [WATCH: Orlando NYPD Pizza restaurant to shut down over rising costs]<\/p>\n \u201cThe end result of all of that is that we\u2019ve seen profit margins narrow,\u201d said Dr. Moutray. \u201cYour typical full-service restaurant only makes 2.8% profit margins.\u201d<\/p>\n