Which famous retailer has filed for bankruptcy?
Red Lobster, Walgreens, Rite Aid and many other retailers are battling financial deterioration.
The popular barbecue chain “Smoky Bones” has ceased to exist, with all its stores across the country permanently closed.
“As of yesterday, April 28, 2026, all Smokey Bones stores have ceased operations. On behalf of our management team, it is an honor to serve our customers,” spokesperson Erin Manzik told USA TODAY.
Local reports in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island, Indiana and Florida confirmed that 10 of the 15 states where Smoke Bones had at least 30 restaurants listed on its website had abruptly closed this week, surprising customers and employees alike.
Restaurant patrons shared images of businesses with signs on their doors, many of which were the same ones shared with USA TODAY by readers in Virginia Beach.
A paper sign read: “We regret to announce that this store has closed as of Tuesday, April 28th.” “We would like to thank our loyal guests for their outstanding service over the years.”
A manager at the only store in Illinois told the Springfield State Journal Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, that 20 employees were notified of the store’s permanent closure on Tuesday, the same day the store closed. There are similar reports from multiple states of little or no warning to officials.
Manzik did not respond to questions from USA TODAY about notifying staff.
In January, FAT Brands Inc., the global parent company of dozens of food and beverage chains including Smokey Bones, Fazoli’s and Fatburger, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
All Smokey Bones locations are listed as “Closed” each day
The brand’s website lists all Smokey Bones locations as “closed” for each day of the week. If you try to order from any location via the takeout and delivery buttons that still exist, the order form will no longer work and the pages for making reservations or joining the waitlist will return a “Page Not Found” error.
The latest posts on the brand’s social media pages since April 23 teased upcoming new menu items. Below the Instagram and Facebook posts, there were many comments about the store’s closure.
“The worst part is that I just received the gift card the day before and there was no mention of the store closing,” said one commenter on Instagram, among many concerned about refunding gift cards after the sudden closure.
One Facebook commenter quipped: “Oh yeah. The new favorite of many unemployed people.” “A new flavor?? Even though all the stores just closed?” Agreed on something else.
There is a possibility of store closures due to bankruptcy.
Originally owned by Darden Restaurants Inc., Smokey Bones was acquired by FAT Brands Inc. as a 60-unit group in 2023 and spun off in January 2025 into Twin Hospitality Group Inc., a public company that owns adult bars Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones.
And last summer, Twin Hospitality announced plans to transform Smokey Bones’ business model, including closing 15 unprofitable stores and converting 19 into Twin Peaks restaurants.
However, by January 2026, FAT Brands entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Twin Hospitality followed suit and filed its own application. While some stores began closing in the same month, Twin Hospitality said in a statement that it “expects each brand to remain open and operational as usual and continue to deliver a distinctive guest experience.”
At this time, it is unclear whether all of Smokey Bones’ closures are permanent.
Contributor: Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register; Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal
