Smokey Bones Closed Locations Across the United States Without Notice — Here's Why

There aren't many dedicated BBQ chains in every United States region, so when Smokey Bones suddenly closed down its locations across the country, people were pretty disappointed and, honestly, a little confused. The chain closed its doors, seemingly for good, without any notice for diners or even employees.

Now, people are asking why Smokey Bones closed. They also want to know if all of the locations across the U.S. are closed down for good, or if any of them have remained open despite the decision to close the business that started in 1999. Smokey Bones was once part of Darden Restaurants, which also owns chains like Red Lobster, but as of the closures, it was owned by the parent company FAT Brands Inc.

In April 2026, Smokey Bones locations across multiple states shut their doors for good. According to People, it's due to FAT Brands Inc. and Twin Hospitality Group Inc. filing for bankruptcy. According to documents obtained by the outlet, the brand reported having between $1,000,000,001 and $10 billion in assets available for restriction to debt collectors.

Because the company filed for bankruptcy, it means other businesses owned by FAT Brands Inc. and Twin Hospitality Group Inc. can remain functioning. For Smokey Bones, however, it's the end of the road. The website has "closed" for all of the days of the week for all of the locations in numerous states.

Locations in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia are all closed down. ABC 6 in Columbus, Ohio, reported that a letter on the door of the Grove City location informed diners that the location was officially closed. According to the New York Post, employees at some locations weren't given a warning about shutting down.

It's not clear if Smokey Bones will open again, or if the closures are a permanent part of the larger companies behind the chain filing for bankruptcy. For now, however, all locations are shut down, and no one attached to Smokey Bones or FAT Brands, Inc. has publicly shared what the future holds for Smokey Bones specifically.

When a restaurant chain closes down in its entirety, the last thing on the minds of the upper-level executives is probably what customers can do with their unused gift cards. Immediately after the news broke of the restaurant closures, there wasn't an announcement about what customers should do if they still have unused Smokey Bones gift cards.

According to the Smokey Bones website section about gift cards, though, "Except where required by law, [a] gift card is not redeemable for cash."

And on Reddit, when someone asked about what they can do with their Smokey Bones gift card, another user advised, "If they filed for bankruptcy you might be sol. If they just closed and plan on reopening you might just have to wait."

Some customers might unfortunately be out of luck if they held onto their gift cards hoping to redeem them at some point.