Struggling BBQ Chain Closing Locations—Will Illinois Be Affected?

If you were hoping to roll up your sleeves and dive into some smoky, saucy BBQ at Smokey Bones in the near future, you might want to double-check the status of your local spot. What will the fate of Illinois' two locations be?

Smokey Bones is Getting Torched: Nine Locations Closing

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The parent company of Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, Fat Brands, just announced that nine "underperforming" locations will close in 2025. But wait, there’s more. About half of the remaining locations will be transformed into Twin Peaks restaurants, according to TheStreet.com.

What's Happening to Smokey Bones?

Fat Brands, which acquired the 61-location chain in 2023, is executing a conversion strategy that will see at least 30 Smokey Bones locations flipped into Twin Peaks sports bars. Two locations have already undergone the transformation, and one Smokey Bones has been permanently closed.

The remaining 19 locations? Their fate is up in the air, but they, too, could eventually be converted to Twin Peaks. While Fat Brands hasn’t released a full list of closures and conversions, Illinois locations in Rockford and Springfield are on the line.

So if you’ve been craving their wings, ribs, or that “almost too nice for a BBQ joint” ambiance, you might want to swing by sooner rather than later. I like to get messy when I get some good ribs and I just never felt comfortable here.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Fat Brands even spun off these two restaurant chains into a new affiliate, Twin Hospitality Group. Because nothing says "we have big plans" like forming a new corporate entity to make it happen.

Twin Peaks: The Future of Your Former BBQ Spot

So what exactly is taking over these soon-to-be former Smokey Bones locations?

Twin Peaks is a sports bar chain that’s kind of like Hooters but with more TVs and a bigger menu. Clearly, it’s doing something right since Fat Brands is betting big on it. Whether you’re thrilled or horrified at the prospect of your go-to BBQ joint morphing into a sports bar with lodge décor and a whole lot of screens, the shift is happening.

MORE: 5 Best BBQ Joints in the Rockford Area To Overeat