Darden Expansion: 40+ Olive Garden & LongHorn Steakhouse Coming Soon
Darden Restaurants is aggressively expanding, rolling out plans to open over 40 new Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse locations. This move underscores the company’s confidence in both brands alongside a strong fiscal performance, with Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse sales reaching billions.CFO rajesh Vennam projects ample growth for LongHorn Steakhouse, anticipating around 25-30 new locations annually, while olive Garden aims for roughly 20 more. Beyond the immediate Olive Garden and LongHorn focus,Darden anticipates contributions from its other chains like Yard House and others,enhancing its strong portfolio. News Directory 3 highlights the details of the company’s projected 7-8% sales growth for fiscal year 2026 amid strategic moves for Bahama Breeze. Discover what’s next …
Darden Restaurants Plans Expansion for Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse
Darden Restaurants, the parent company of popular chains Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, is gearing up for significant expansion. The company plans to open between 40 and 45 new restaurants across both brands in the coming year, according to CFO Rajesh Vennam.
As of late May, Darden operated over 930 Olive Garden locations and more than 590 LongHorn Steakhouses. the move reflects Darden’s confidence in the continued growth potential of these established brands.
Beyond Olive Garden and LongHorn, Darden’s portfolio includes Ruth’s Chris, Cheddar’s Scratch kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Chuy’s, Seasons 52, and Eddie V’s. While Olive Garden and LongHorn are the primary focus for immediate expansion,Darden anticipates increased contributions from its other brands in the future.
Vennam told analysts that Darden sees “huge opportunity” for LongHorn Steakhouse to add 25 to 30 locations annually, with Olive Garden in the “20-ish range for the foreseeable future.” Yard House may see mid-single-digit growth, with other brands contributing approximately 15 new locations.
Darden anticipates overall unit growth to exceed 3% over the next five years. This expansion strategy follows a fiscal year where Olive Garden sales reached $5.2 billion, a 2.8% increase, and LongHorn Steakhouse sales climbed 7.8% to $3.03 billion.
Darden’s total sales for fiscal 2025 approached $12.08 billion, with net earnings of $1.05 billion.The company projects sales growth of 7-8% for fiscal 2026.
In a strategic shift, Darden is exploring options for its Bahama Breeze chain, which includes 28 locations.CEO ricardo Cardenas said the company will consider a potential sale of the brand or converting restaurants to other Darden brands.
Notably, LongHorn steakhouse ranked No.2 in customer satisfaction among full-service chains, according to the American Customer satisfaction Index Restaurant and Food Delivery Study. Olive Garden was close behind, with a strong satisfaction score as well.