Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill Company Shuts Down 41 Restaurants; Did Your NJ Location Close?

Oh gosh, I just got word that four restaurant chains, owned by the same company, were hit with the news that forty-one locations across the board were shutting down immediately on Friday.

I hate to hear that more businesses are closing. It seems to be a common occurrence these days, unfortunately.

Bloomin' Brands closed 41 of its restaurants permanently

CNN is reporting that 41 locations of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Fleming's, and Bonefish Grill have been closed for good.

The restaurant chains are owned by the same company...Bloomin' Brands.

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The closed locations were underperforming

The shuttered locations were described on an earnings call on Friday as "underperforming locations."

The company didn't specify which locations closed down but said Outback Steakhouse was affected the most. The lagging locations had poor sales, slowing customer traffic and more.

Mercer County, NJ Outback Steakhouse remains open

Nervous that our local Hamilton (Mercer County) Outback Steakhouse was one of the locations closed, I called and was happy to hear a hostess answer. She told me, "Outback is way too popular around here to close." Phew.

Secaucus, NJ Bonefish Grill Closed permanently

As I did some online searching, The Patch reported that the Secaucus Bonefish Grill closed abruptly on Friday, after 19 years in business. The Secaucus mayor said it came as a surprise to even him. 

Mercer County, NJ  Bonefish Grill is still open

I called the Lawrence, NJ Bonefish Grill location in Mercer Mall and it is still open. You can breath a sigh of relief if that's your favorite location.

Employees were offered a transfer or severance

A Bloomin' Brands spokesperson told CNN, "Closing restaurants is never easy. This was a business decision that has no reflection on the staff or their service. Many team members will have the opportunity to transfer to open positions at another restaurant. Employees who do not will receive severance."

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