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The popular Caribbean restaurant Bahama Breeze has announced that the business is for sale. The restaurant chain, owned by Darden Restaurants, made its latest announcement after shutting down 15 of its locations in May.

According to The U.S. Sun, Darden Restaurants CEO Rick Cardenas revealed the news in an earnings call on Friday.

What did CEO Rick Cardenas say about selling Bahama Breeze?

“We have made the difficult decision that these remaining locations are not a strategic priority for us,” Cardenas said, per The U.S. Sun. “We also believe this brand and these restaurants have the potential to benefit from a new owner. Consequently, we will be considering strategic alternatives for Bahama Breeze.”

If Darden cannot find a buyer, the remaining locations may be converted into the company’s other brands, including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, Cardenas said.

Why is Bahama Breeze selling?

Per The U.S. Sun, Bahama Breeze has struggled to keep up with its competition in recent months while also facing similar challenges as many other restaurants that are struggling to survive due to rising wages and inflation. When the restaurant closed down its 15 locations in May, the company was still hoping to overcome the challenges and improve the remaining locations.

“Closing a restaurant is a difficult choice because it impacts our team members and guests,” spokesperson Kiara Buckner told USA Today in May. “However, we believe this is the right decision because it will allow Bahama Breeze to focus on its highest-performing restaurants and strengthen the brand’s overall performance.”

Now, however, the company is heading in a different direction. While the future remains unclear, Bahama Breeze said in May that it would help employees affected by the closures.

“We are doing everything we can to place as many impacted team members at nearby Darden brands, and all others will be provided with severance,” the spokesperson said at that time, according to ABC 24.

Bahama Breeze, founded in Orlando in 1996, currently operates about 43 locations in the U.S.

A massive data breach has exposed more than 16 billion passwords across multiple platforms, making it one of the most significant breaches in history.

Researchers at Cybernews confirmed the breach and published their findings on Wednesday, identifying 30 datasets, each containing billions of passwords for social media, VPNs, and user information related to other online services, including Apple and Google.

“This is not just a leak — it’s a blueprint for mass exploitation. With over 16 billion login records exposed, cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing,” researchers said.

“What’s especially concerning is the structure and recency of these datasets — these aren’t just old breaches being recycled. This is fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale,” they added.

The data breach was the largest cyber theft incident in history

Since early this year, the data watchdog has monitored the web. Its latest report reveals the largest-ever theft of sensitive data by infostealers, surpassing all previous cyber incidents.

Cybercriminals who initially obtain user passwords for sale on the dark web can exploit them to carry out identity theft, fraud and smishing.

The login information was only exposed briefly, prompting researchers to retrieve it quickly. However, they don’t know who was controlling most of the data, which was “temporarily accessible through unsecured Elasticsearch or object storage instances,” according to Cybernews.

Were passwords for Facebook, Apple and Google leaked?

Bob Diachenko, a Cybernews contributor, cybersecurity researcher, and owner of Security Discovery, shared details on whether the leaked datasets contained information from large tech companies.

“There was no centralized breach at any of these companies,” Diachenko said, adding that user information on those platforms still could have been exposed elsewhere.

“Credentials we’ve seen in infostealer logs contained login URLs to Apple, Facebook, and Google login pages,” Diachenko said.

How can consumers protect themselves?

Anyone would find it alarming to discover their personal information circulating online. Newsweek reported that the best way for consumers to protect themselves is to enhance security by using stronger, complex passwords and multi-factor authentication.

Google has also recommended that users upgrade their Gmail accounts by using more efficient methods with biometric authentication, such as a passkey system with physical certification, like fingerprint recognition, facial scans, or a pattern lock.

“It’s important to use tools that automatically secure your account and protect you from scams,” the tech company told Newsweek.

Recent cyber threat via text messages

In March, Blavity reported that the FBI warned iPhone and Android users to delete smishing text messages from threat actors claiming to be toll services and other government entities.

They send these phony messages to people, attempting to steal their information if the person clicks on the link asking them to pay alleged outstanding balances.

“The texts claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language,” the FBI stated. “The ‘outstanding toll amount’ is similar among the complaints reported to the [Internet Crime Complaint Center]. However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state’s toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states.”

Fat Joe’s former hypeman, Terrance “T.A.” Dixon, filed a $20 million federal lawsuit Thursday accusing the rapper, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena, of years of criminal behavior, including manipulation, sex abuse and exploitation.