Barbecue lovers in US devastated as popular chain Smokey Bones closes more locations

Restaurant and bar Smokey Bones has started closing locations around the United States. Smokey Bones is welcoming new leadership and closing more stores due to underperformance, bringing the company’s total number of recent closings to 15, reports USA Today.

Global franchise company FAT Brands Inc. acquired Smokey Bones in 2023 and plans to shift its business model for the barbecue chain. Fat Brands has subsidiaries such as Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Great American Cookies, Fazoli’s and Twin Peaks.

Earlier this year, Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones joined hands to become Twin Hospitality, and the business is now trying to remove $1.5 million in expenses and improve the company’s profitability.


FAT Brands plans to close several underperforming Smokey Bones locations. The global franchiser plans to convert several remaining restaurants to Twin Peaks, a sports bar chain known for lodge theme and “Twin Peaks Girls” waitresses.

Smokey Bones to shut more stores

According to Parade, Smokey Bones is a barbecue chain and was bought by FAT Brands in 2023. It was then handed over to a new company called Twin Hospitality in early 2025.

Twin Hospitality decided some Smokey Bones locations would do better as Twin Peaks sports bars, so they’re converting 19 of them. Two restaurants have already made the switch, and according to the company, they’re now bringing in more than double the sales—around $7.8 million a year compared to $3.5 million as Smokey Bones.

A third conversion, run by a franchise owner, is already underway and should open later this year. Twin Hospitality in a press release has said the company took a hard look at Smokey Bones and realised some locations were not performing upto the mark.

Out of fifteen underperforming restaurants, ten have already shut down and the last five will close before the end of the fiscal third quarter. Once these closures are done, there will be just 26 Smokey Bones locations left.

Twin Peaks announced the changes in a press release on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Known for its barbecue, cocktails, and other specialty drinks, Smokey Bones has already closed 10 locations. The remaining five closures will happen by the end of the year’s third quarter, the company said.

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Smokey Bones' new leader experience

In March, Twin Hospitality announced that nine underperforming Smokey Bones locations would close, according to reporting by the Springfield State Journal-Register, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Smokey Bones once had more than 100 locations nationwide and now would be left with just 26 locations once the upcoming closures go into effect. These remaining restaurants are on track to continue bringing in “positive cash flow” for Twin Hospitality, according to the press release.

Smokey Bones’ new leader, Ken Brendemihl, will get to work immediately, Twin Hospitality said in its press release.

He has more than 25 years experience in restaurant leadership and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Alamo Drafthouse, a movie theater chain with locations in Texas, Massachusetts, Chicago and Virginia. He has also worked for Velvet Taco, California Pizza Kitchen, Texas Roadhouse and On the Border, the company said.

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Twin Hospitality Chief Executive Officer Kim Boerema said in the press release that the restaurant closures and new leadership are part of the company’s plan to "eliminate inefficiencies." The Smokey Bones locations bringing in less money will be converted into other brands the company owns, such as Twin Peaks lodges or sports bars, Boerema said.

"Ken will step in immediately bringing his deep operational expertise and proven track record to lead Smokey Bones into its next chapter," Boerema said in the release.

For many US companies, the fiscal year matches the calendar year, so the third quarter would be July 1 through September 30. But not all companies run on that schedule. Some start their fiscal year in a different month, like April, October or February—which shifts the quarters. For example, if a company’s fiscal year starts in April, its third quarter would actually run October through December.

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