Bonefish Grill has closed another decades-old restaurant, adding to a wave of changes across its parent company’s business as the restaurant operator works to turn around its portfolio.
While the seafood chain has not announced a mass closure plan, Bloomin’ Brands is shuttering restaurants across its brands and preparing for more potential exits as leases expire.
Founded in 1988 in Tampa, Florida, Bloomin’ Brands Inc. is one of the world’s largest casual dining companies with more than 1,440 restaurants across 46 states, Guam, and 12 countries. Its portfolio includes Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.
The company has been pursuing a multiyear turnaround, combining investments in existing restaurants with closures and lease decisions intended to reshape its operations.
Bonefish Grill closes another restaurant
Bonefish Grill permanently closed its restaurant at 179 Van Zile Road in Brick Township, New Jersey, on Oct. 12, 2026, after serving the community for approximately 20 years.
A sign posted on the building confirmed the closure. The company has not publicly provided a specific reason for the shutdown.
Bonefish Grill currently operates 156 restaurants nationwide, including eight locations in New Jersey, according to its restaurant locator.
The Brick Township closure leaves the immediate area without a Bonefish Grill location, with the nearest restaurant more than 23 miles away.
Although the shutdown reduces the chain’s local presence, it does not by itself indicate a broader wave of Bonefish Grill closures.
Why Bloomin’ Brands is closing restaurants
Bloomin’ Brands (BLMN) has been working to strengthen its restaurant portfolio through a broader turnaround, focused primarily on Outback Steakhouse.
The strategy combines investment in existing restaurants with decisions to close locations or decline lease renewals where the company sees less potential for long-term growth.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2026, Bloomin’ Brands reported a 1.3% year-over-year increase in revenue to $1.02 billion, according to its quarterly financial results.
Comparable U.S. restaurant sales climbed 2.3%, while Bonefish Grill recorded an 8.1% increase in comparable sales and a 4.5% rise in traffic.
Those results suggest Bonefish Grill’s recent sales performance has been relatively strong, even as individual restaurants close. However, comparable sales growth measures performance at eligible existing locations and does not mean every restaurant is performing well or that further closures are off the table.
Bloomin’ Brands restaurant counts also show that the company’s closures extend beyond Bonefish Grill.
During the first quarter of 2026, the company closed one Bonefish Grill restaurant. It reported no Bonefish Grill closures during the second quarter, ending June 28 with 157 locations.
The Brick Township shutdown appears to be the brand’s only closure identified so far in the third quarter. Bloomin’ Brands had not yet reported its third-quarter financial results as of Oct. 20, leaving the full extent of its restaurant closures during that period unconfirmed.
Across its entire portfolio, Bloomin’ Brands closed nine restaurants and opened five during the second quarter, ending the period with 1,448 locations. Four of the closures involved company-owned restaurants, while five involved franchised locations.
The figures highlight the difference between Bonefish Grill’s recent sales performance and the broader decisions Bloomin’ Brands is making across its restaurant portfolio.
Bloomin’ Brands has more restaurant closures in its plans
Bloomin’ Brands announced a multiyear turnaround strategy in November 2025. The plan focuses on improving the dine-in experience, strengthening brand relevance, rebuilding company culture, and investing in its restaurants.
The strategy places particular emphasis on Outback Steakhouse, the company’s largest brand, as Bloomin’ Brands works to improve restaurant performance and create more sustainable long-term growth.
Here’s some of my previous coverage of restaurant closures:
- Popular restaurant company continues closing locations
- Hooters closes dozens of restaurants after bankruptcy, and entire states are going dark
- Formerly bankrupt buffet chain comes back after 6-year shutdown
As part of the restructuring effort, Bloomin’ Brands closed 21 U.S. restaurants in 2025 and opted not to renew the leases on 22 additional U.S. locations. The company said most of those leases were scheduled to expire over the following four years.
Those lease decisions could result in additional closures as agreements expire, although they should not be interpreted as 22 newly confirmed shutdowns scheduled for specific dates.
Restaurant closures are only one part of the turnaround. Bloomin’ Brands is also investing in upgrading its existing locations, expecting to spend between $350,000 and $400,000 per restaurant refresh, with Outback Steakhouse locations being the main focus.
The company has also revised its expected spending on the broader turnaround. Management said its total 2026 turnaround investment was expected to be approximately $36 million, down from the previous forecast of $50 million, while productivity savings remained on track to reach about $30 million.
These investments reflect the company’s efforts to improve operations while directing resources toward locations it believes offer the strongest potential for long-term growth.
More closures could follow across the restaurant portfolio
For Bonefish Grill, the Brick Township shutdown represents another reduction in its restaurant footprint. However, the brand’s 8.1% comparable sales increase in the second quarter does not suggest it is experiencing the same broad restructuring emphasis as Outback Steakhouse.
That does not guarantee Bonefish Grill will avoid further closures. Individual locations can shut down even when a brand’s comparable sales are growing, and the company’s latest reported results do not establish how every restaurant is performing.
Meanwhile, Bloomin’ Brands has already closed restaurants across its portfolio and identified additional leases it does not intend to renew. As those agreements expire and the company continues to evaluate its locations, additional closures remain possible.
Bonefish Grill’s latest shutdown does not establish that the chain is preparing for mass closures.
But as its parent company reshapes its restaurant portfolio, more locations across its brand could face closures as the company prioritizes investments and evaluates which restaurants offer the strongest potential for long-term growth.
Related: Popular restaurant company continues closing locations
