Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill
Encyclopedia
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first Smokey Bones restaurant opened in Orlando, Florida, in 1999 under its then owners, Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants, Inc. is a multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. The firm owns several casual dining restaurant chains, most notably Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Red Lobster...
. Currently, Smokey Bones has 68 restaurants in 17 Eastern states.
Atmosphere
Smokey Bones creates a rustic mountain lodge setting by using lots of wood, including tall timbers and logs, stacked stone, fireplaces, and imagery of mountain settings. There are multiple televisions hung throughout the seating area, as well as at the bar. Television volume can be controlled via audio boxes that are located at many tables and (in some restaurants) throughout the bar.New Ownership
On May 5, 2007, it was announced that Darden Restaurants was selling Smokey Bones. The chain was sold to Barbeque Integrated, an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners in December 2007 for $80 million under the leadership of Ian Baines, Smokey Bones' chief executive officer.Rebrand & Redesign
Since purchasing Smokey Bones, Sun Capital Partners have been working on rebranding and redesigning the restaurant in an attempt to capture a new customer base, including an update to the name, new branding and restaurant design.In August 2008, Smokey Bones completed its first restaurant makeover at its Waterford Lakes location in Orlando, Florida. The log cabin decor has been replaced with a more contemporary restaurant setting. Highlights include an extended bar area, HD-TVs throughout the restaurant and bar and updated employee uniforms. A new menu has also been implemented, emphasizing less on barbeque and more on grilled and smoked flavors.
Since then, five more locations have been redesigned: Plantation, Florida, Boca Raton, Florida, Citrus Park, Florida
Citrus Park, Florida
Citrus Park is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Citrus Park is located at , or about nine miles northwest of Tampa...
, Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, and the restaurant's second location in Orlando, Florida. The restaurant plans to remodel all of its remaining locations throughout the next couple of years.