Smokey Bones in Lake Ronkonkoma closed permanently as parent companies file for bankruptcy

Three months after its parent companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the barbecue chain Smokey Bones has closed all of its remaining 20 locations, including its Long Island restaurant in Lake Ronkonkoma. 

The closures were sudden and came without any formal announcement Tuesday by Smokey Bones or its parent companies, Twin Hospitality Group Inc. and FAT Brands. A sign taped to the door of the Lake Ronkonkoma Smokey Bones on Express Drive South on Wednesday read: "We regret to announce that this location has permanently closed its doors as of Tuesday, April 28th. We thank our loyal Guests for many wonderful years."

Calls to the main number for the Lake Ronkonkoma location were answered on Wednesday by a recording that said: "Thank you for calling Smokey Bones in Ronkonkoma, located off Expressway Drive, where meat is what we do."

A call to a number listed in a second taped notice on the restaurant door was answered by a man who said only that he was the manager of the location.

"I can't talk to you," he said, declining to provide his name before adding: "I'm sorry."

He then referred inquiries to a media representative for FAT Brands.

In a statement emailed to Newsday on Wednesday FAT Brands spokeswoman Erin Mandzik wrote: "As of yesterday [April 28, 2026], all Smokey Bones locations have ceased operations. On behalf of Management, it has been a privilege to serve our customers."

The first Smokey Bones was opened by Darden Restaurants Inc. in Orlando, Florida, in August 1999. But the chain had a number of economic downturns, sales and reorganizations since.

In 2007, records shows Darden announced the closing of 56 Smokey Bones restaurants nationwide, while selling the remaining 73 in 22 states.

The chain was acquired in 2023 by FAT Brands, which operates a host of restaurant chains, among them Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Marble Slab Creamery and Pretzelmaker.

Smokey Bones still had three sites in New York when FAT Brands, which owns 18 chains with more than 2,200 locations worldwide, filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, accompanied by a statement from then-CEO Andrew Wiederhorn that said, in part: "Our dynamic portfolio of brands has demonstrated tremendous resilience in a challenging restaurant operating environment over the last few years."

In that statement Wiederhorn said FAT Brands was "well-positioned" to weather any bankruptcy action.

Court records show a hearing date in those proceedings is slated for Friday.

The Smokey Bones locations closed on Tuesday included two others in New York, in upstate Colonie and Liverpool. The chain also had six locations in Pennsylvania, four in Ohio, two each in Massachusetts and Virginia and one each in Maryland, North Carolina and Rhode Island.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.