Smokey Bones plans to open eight additional restaurants

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - Darden Restaurants Inc. plans to convert eight former Grady&#39;s restaurants into Smokey Bones BBQ outlets, speeding up the barbecue chain&#39;s expansion in the southeast, company officials said Thursday. <br> <br> Darden has entered into an agreement to acquire nine Grady&#39;s restaurant locations in Florida and Georgia. Eight of the nine locations will be converted into Smokey Bones BBQ Sports Bar restaurants. The Miami site will be used for a Red Lobster restaurant. <br> <br> ``What this particular acquisition does is allows us to quickly penetrate a region where we&#39;re doing real well,&#39;&#39; said Rick Walsh, Darden&#39;s senior vice president of corporate relations. ``It was opportunistic.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> There are currently 13 Smokey Bones outlets in the United States, and the company had planned to open an additional eight this year before the Grady&#39;s deal was approved. The former Grady&#39;s properties will be opened during the next 1.5 years. <br> <br> The new Smokey Bones locations in Florida will be in Boca Raton, Brandon, Fort Myers and Plantation. The Georgia locations will be in Alpharetta, Duluth, Dunwoody and Kennesaw. <br> <br> Darden also owns and operates the Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze chains.