98 Workers Laid Off At Cherry Hill Restaurant That's Set To Close

CHERRY HILL, NJ — As Bahama Breeze prepares to close all restaurants, 98 employees at the Cherry Hill location will be laid off.

Darden Restaurants, Bahama Breeze's parent company, announced Tuesday that all of the Caribbean-inspired chain's remaining eateries will close. Read more: Cherry Hill Eatery To Close Permanently As Restaurant Chain Goes Under

The restaurant at Cherry Hill Mall is expected to operate through April 5 — the same day the layoffs will take effect.

Darden is one of the largest restaurant operators in the United States. The company will try to employ laid-off workers at other Darden-owned restaurants, according to a company spokesperson.

It wasn't specified how many workers will receive that opportunity.

"The breadth of our portfolio gives us more ways to keep great people at Darden," the spokesperson told Patch. "Our first priority is to place as many team members as possible from the closure restaurants in another Darden brand."

Darden owns several restaurant chains with locations at or near the mall, including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V's Prime Seafood.

The company decided to close all 28 remaining Bahama Breeze restaurants after exploring "strategic alternatives" for the brand, Darden announced Tuesday.

Half of the restaurants, including the Cherry Hill and King of Prussia locations, are expected to operate through April 5. Darden will convert the other Bahama Breeze locations to different restaurants that the company owns.

Darden founded Bahama Breeze 30 years ago. More than one-third of the brand's locations abruptly closed last year, including four in New Jersey. Cherry Hill's location is the last-remaining Bahama Breeze in the state.