Aventura, Fla. — Smokey Bones reopened all of its 61 restaurants in 16 states on June 30. During the pandemic, Smokey Bones created and opened its 61st restaurant, a ghost kitchen in Chicago and opened a new brand, The Wing Experience, in June as a virtual restaurant located inside its ghost kitchen.
“We are proud to not only have reopened all of our restaurants, but we have demonstrated, with the launch of our ghost and virtual kitchens, that Smokey Bones is a growth brand, now and in the future,” says James O’Reilly, CEO of Smokey Bones. “During the shutdown of dining rooms, we intensified our focus on curbside pickup and delivery, and launched pop-up drive-thrus, all of which propelled our off-premise business to the highest levels we have ever experienced. We intend to continue emphasizing off premise service options as our guests also return to our dining rooms.”
Smokey Bones has also started recalling furloughed employees and is seeking new employees to fill open positions.
“Guest and employee safety remain our Number 1 priority, and we are excited to be welcoming guests back to our dining rooms,” says Hal Lawlor, Smokey Bones’ chief operating officer.
Smokey Bones is a full-service restaurant with 61 locations across 16 states. Smokey Bones is an affiliate of Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners, whose portfolio of restaurants also includes Friendly’s and Johnny Rockets. For more information, visit www.SmokeyBones.com.
SOURCE: Smokey Bones