Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants, which owns Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Bahama Breeze restaurant chains, is getting out of the barbecue business.

The world’s largest casual dining company cited Smokey Bones’ lagging performance compared to Darden’s other concepts as a factor in the decision to close 56 Smokey Bones restaurants and offer the remaining 73 restaurants, primarily located in the South, mid-Atlantic, Midwest and New England, for sale.

Bowling Green’s Smokey Bones will remain open, according to Darden spokesman Joe Chabus.

&#8220The Smokey Bones in Bowling Green is one of our best restaurants and is one of 73 Smokey Bones restaurants that are now up for sale as a company of vibrant, profitable restaurants,” Chabus said. &#8220This decision to sell Smokey Bones comes as part of an overall strategy to better position Darden Restaurants for growth. The 73 Smokey Bones restaurants remaining open constitute a vibrant business, but one that is not consistent with Darden’s vision for national restaurant concept.”

Jeff Harris, one of the owners of Bar-B-Que Junction on Russellville Road, was surprised to hear of Darden’s decision, considering barbecue is one of the fastest growing fields in the restaurant industry, he said.

&#8220Barbecue is very regional and is reaching a wider market than it ever has,” Harris said. &#8220In this market, people were born and raised on barbecue, so it is staple food item compared to other states and regions.”

But Harris said it can be challenging to find one barbecue flavor profile that fits everyone because there is such a variance in the styles, he said.

Smokey Bones first opened in Orlando in 1999 and had 129 locations. Now, with 73 locations, the company is giving 4,000 employees who worked at 56 now-closed Smokey Bones restaurants in Indiana, Tennessee and other areas opportunities to transfer to other Darden locations.

&#8220This action in no way reflects adversely on the hard work of people associated with Smokey Bones and we will take care of every employee affected by this action,” Darden chairman and CEO Clarence Otis said in the announcement. &#8220Darden is doing the difficult things required to grow. The company’s long-term growth goals remain unchanged.”

The company had been testing the possibility of converting some of the Smokey Bones locations to a new format called Rocky River Grillhouse. That longer-term test, featuring fire-grilled foods, rested on Smokey Bones’ ability to stabilize its business. Long-term performance declines, however, continued and recently accelerated, making that test not viable, according to Chabus.

With $5.7 billion in annual sales, Darden owns and operates about 1,400 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones and Seasons 52 restaurants. The company is the 25th largest employer in the United States with 160,000 employees.

– For a list of the closed Smokey Bones restaurants, go to www.bgdailynews.com.

List of Smokey Bones Restaurants closing:

State Market

1.    AL Montgomery, AL  

2.    AL Mobile AL  

3.    AR Fayetteville, AR  

4.    FL Tallahassee, FL

5.    FL Pensacola, FL  

6.    FL Fort Walton Beach, FL

7.    GA Dunwoody, GA

8.    GA Duluth, GA

9.    GA Alpharetta, GA

10.  GA Douglasville, GA  

11.  GA Gainesville, GA

12.  GA Morrow, Southlake, GA

13.  IL Aurora, IL

14.  IL Schaumburg, IL

15.  IL Champaign, IL  

16.  IN Evansville, IN

17.  IN Merrillville, IN

18.  IN Castleton, IN (Rocky River Grillhouse)  

19.  IN Avon, IN  

20.  IN Mishawaka, IN

21.  IN Indianapolis (Downtown), IN  

22.  IN Bloomington, IN

23.  LA Baton Rouge, LA

24.  LA Shreveport, LA  

25.  ME Bangor, ME  

26.  MO Fenton, MO (Rocky River Grillhouse)

27.  MO Springfield, MO

28.  MO Chesterfield, MO

29.  MS Southaven, MS  

30.  NC Wilmington, NC

31.  NH Newington, NH

32.  NH Concord, NH  

33.  NY Amherst, NY  

34.  OH Dayton, OH

35.  OH Cleveland/Elyria, OH

36.  OH Toledo, OH

37.  OH Akron, OH (Rocky River Grillhouse)

38.  OK Oklahoma City, OK

39.  OK Tulsa,OK  

40.  PA Scranton, Dickson City, PA  

41.  PA Langhorne, PA

42.  PA Philadelphia, PA

43.  RI Providence, RI

44.  SC Columbia, SC

45.  SC Myrtle Beach, SC

46.  TN Memphis, TN

47.  TN Brentwood, Cool Springs, TN

48.  TN Bartlett, TN  

49.  TX Houston, Willowbrook, TX

50.  TX Waco, TX

51.  TX South Austin, TX

52.  TX Humble, TX

53.  TX San Antonio TX

54.  WI Madison, WI

55.  WI Ashwaubenon, WI

56.  WV Charleston, WV