As chain restaurants around the country close, Palm Beach County is not immune to the recent economic strain. We have seen many, from chains to local favorites, shut their doors. Diners from Jupiter to West Palm Beach, from Royal Palm Beach and Wellington and from Boynton Beach to Boca have all felt the sting.
Here are the notable restaurants in Palm Beach County that closed in 2024.
Cookie Plug, West Palm Beach
This shop, known for its vibrant colors and for delivering one the thickest, tastiest cookies anywhere, has closed. Their cookies, described as "cookie on the outside, with part brownie/cake batter inside," included varieties like the firecracker (s'mores in cookie form), pixie junkie (their sugar cookie) and purple haze (red velvet cake only purple).
Information: 105 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach.cookieplug.com
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PB Wraps sandwich shop
After 23 years, this longtime sandwich shop on South Dixie Highway served its last customers on April 21. Opened just after 9/11 by Rene Richthofen and his wife Jane, the popular restaurant was known for their quesadillas, bowls, burgers, chicken wings, fried green beans and, of course, wraps. Jane Richthoven said COVID-19 ultimately was the beginning of the downfall for the restaurant. "Unfortunately, we just haven't been the same," she said. "We've weathered a few rough years since then, and with the price of food and the competition, we just haven't been getting the business. It's time." The Richthofens aren't sure what is next for the location, which is owned by Palm Beach County businessman Andrew Roddy. "It's been a really good run," She said. "We had exceptional employees and I'll miss them the most. That, and I have no idea where I'm going to go for lunch now."
Information: 2409 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen
This restaurant chain, known for American comfort food and co*cktails with a Texas twist, closed its Wellington location in late 2023. If you've got a hankerin' for Cheddar's buffalo beer-battered shrimp, country fried steak or chicken pot pie the two nearest locations are in Port St. Lucie and Pembroke Pines.
Information: 925 S. State Road 7, Wellington
Tijuana Flats
This Central Florida-based chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 19 and announced a new ownership group had acquired the brand, according to a press release posted on Businesswire. The press release also stated that they had closed 11 of their locations that week. One of them was in Virginia, the other 10 were in Florida. According to the Tijuana Flats website the only remaining locations still operating in Palm Beach County were the Jupiter, Royal Palm Beach and the Lantana-Lake Worth Beach restaurants. Former locations in the county included restaurants in Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, Wellington and West Palm Beach. The fast-casual, Tex-Mex chain was founded in Winter Park, Florida in 1995. The new ownership group is Flatheads, LLC.
Information: 13860 Wellington Trace, Wellington; 2089 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., West Palm Beach; 390 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach; 20401 State Road 7, Boca Raton
Ocean One Delray Marketplace, Royal Palm locations
A cornerstone at the popular Delray Marketplace, the once-popular restaurant closed in late 2023. With dozens of diners inquiring why they had shut down on one of the restaurant's social media accounts, the operator of the account confirmed Ocean One had permanently closed. As for why, they said "for reasons we prefer to keep private." Further down they added that all of their Florida locations were closed. This included their location in Royal Palm Beach. They were known for their $6 lunch menu.
Information: 14851 Lyons Road, Delray Beach; 1111 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach
Lionfish Delray Beach
This coastal cuisine restaurant, which focused on sustainability, has closed. Twice recognized by the James Beard Foundation as a Smart Catch Leader, it finished it's last dinner service on April 13. Lionfish in Delray Beach opened in September 2020 and battled gloriously through the pandemic. The restaurant did not close for lack of business said co-owner Andy Masi. Instead, he said he found operating a restaurant to be too intense and wanted to return to his roots in real estate.
Information: 307 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
Chain restaurants closing or closed in Florida in 2024
Red Lobster
More than a dozenRed Lobsters in Floridahave been caught up in the wave of closures sweeping the country, but the three locations in Palm Beach County appear to have weathered the storm. Red Lobsters inWest Palm Beach, Greenacres and Boynton Beach were open and doing business Tuesday, May 14, even as others from Jacksonville to Hialeah were shuttered.
Among those cities hit: Jacksonville saw all three Red Lobster locations there close. Orlando's six were cut by half to three. And Tampa lost two of three.
Hooters, West Palm Beach
The Hooters at 2020 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. closed recently, company officials confirmed Monday, June 24. Roughly40 Hooters restaurants across the country closedpermanently Sunday morning, according to Texas news outletTexoma. Closures included restaurants in Texas, Florida, Kentucky and Virginia, according to local media reports.
Eddie Ritz is a journalist atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network.You can reach him ateritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism.Subscribe today
