ORLANDO, Fla. (October 19, 2009) — Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill celebrates 10 years in business this month. Smokey Bones opened its first restaurant in Orlando, Fla. in 1999 under its then owners, Darden Restaurants.
Since then, Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill changed ownership to an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners in 2007 and underwent a rebranding in August of 2008, featuring an update to the company’s name (formerly Smokey Bones Barbecue & Grill), a new restaurant design and a revised menu emphasizing less on barbeque and more on fire-grilled and smoked flavors.
The first restaurant that was redesigned was the Waterford Lakes location in Orlando, Fla. and three other locations have since followed — Plantation, Fla., E. Colonial in Orlando, Fla. and Tyngsboro, Mass.
“Smokey Bones has come a long way in 10 years, especially since the rebranding just last year,” said President & CEO Ian Baines. “Feedback from the new brand is very positive and we intend on remodeling more of our 68 restaurants within the next eight months.”
The remodeled restaurants have replaced the log cabin decor with a more contemporary restaurant setting, updates include a highlighted bar area, high-definition flat-screen TVs, new employee uniforms and colorful and humorous imagery throughout the entire restaurant.
For more information about Smokey Bones, visit SmokeyBones.com.