Smokey Bones closes Greensboro location as chain shuts down nationwide

Smokey Bones’ West Gate City Boulevard restaurant is closed, leaving Greensboro with one fewer casual-dining option and a vacant spot in a corridor that has seen steady turnover.

The chain’s Greensboro location at 3302 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27407 now shows all business hours as closed, and the store locator lists the phone number as (336) 315-8755. For workers and regulars, the shutdown landed with little warning. The brand had been known for fire-grilled barbecue, steaks and the kind of big-table, casual menu that drew families, sports fans and after-work crowds.

The local closure is part of a larger collapse. Smokey Bones shut all of its remaining U.S. locations on April 28, 2026, ending the chain’s run after 27 years. National coverage put the number of remaining stores at 28 when the shutdown hit, which means the Greensboro site was caught in a companywide exit rather than a one-off closing tied to one market.

The brand’s disappearance also closes a long chapter in restaurant business history. Smokey Bones was founded by Darden Restaurants in Orlando in 1999 and later grew to as many as 128 restaurants before shrinking. At the beginning of 2025, Smokey Bones and Twin Peaks were spun off into Twin Hospitality. By January 26, 2026, FAT Brands and its Twin Hospitality Group subsidiary had filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

For Guilford County, the loss goes beyond one dining room. A closure like this means fewer jobs, fewer places for casual meals and one less reason for traffic on West Gate City Boulevard. It also leaves nearby businesses without a neighboring draw that could have helped bring in customers. In a year when Greensboro’s restaurant corridors have already been shaped by openings, closures and turnover, Smokey Bones’ exit is another sign of how fragile casual dining has become.

The most striking part may be how quickly a recognizable chain can disappear. Smokey Bones went from a national barbecue brand with dozens of locations to a closed footprint in a matter of months, and Greensboro lost one of its familiar west-side anchors with it.