Smokey Bones restaurants in Massachusetts close as BBQ chain goes out of business

Smokey Bones, a casual dining barbecue chain with more than two dozen restaurants nationwide, is closing all of its locations, including two in Massachusetts.

Parent company Fat Brands confirmed that Smokey Bones restaurants in Tyngsboro and Taunton are now closed. A Smokey Bones in Warwick, Rhode Island was also shuttered.

"As of yesterday [April 28, 2026], all Smokey Bones locations have ceased operations," a Fat Brands spokesperson told WBZ-TV. "On behalf of Management, it has been a privilege to serve our customers."

The company announced in September it would close 15 "underperforming" Smokey Bones restaurants, and said the remaining locations were "generating positive cash flow." But in January, Fat Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing a "challenging restaurant operating environment.

An official in Taunton said the closure of the location off Route 140 came as a surprise to both the city and restaurant employees.

"For the better part of the last two years, OECD has heard rumors regarding a possible closure and has made multiple efforts to verify those reports with the owner of the plaza," Jay Pateakos, Taunton's executive director of the Office of Economic and Eommunity Development, said in a statement. "Until yesterday, we were consistently told the business would remain open."

Pateakos said the city is focused on helping impacted employees, and is already working to get a new eatery for the space.

"We will continue to keep the community updated on our efforts to fill this location," he said. "Our hope is to attract another great dining option, maybe a steakhouse or Italian restaurant, that will continue to strengthen Route 140 as a regional destination."

Casual dining chain restaurants are struggling in Massachusetts and around the country. Not Your Average Joe's and Uno Pizzeria have closed multiple restaurants just this year. A housing project has also recently been approved to potentially replace a 99 Restaurant in Charlestown with apartments.