Darden Restaurants, Inc.
Acquisitions
6
Major Deals Covered
$4.1B
Disclosed Deal Value
Darden Restaurants's largest disclosed acquisition here is Rare Hospitality International for $1.4B in 2007. This page covers 6 major deals from 2007 to 2024, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare Hospitality International | 2007 | $1.4B | Added LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille, giving Darden stronger steakhouse exposure across casual and fine-dining occasions. |
| Eddie V's Restaurants | 2011 | $59.0M | Added Eddie V's Prime Seafood and The Wildfish Seafood Grille to expand Darden's higher-ticket seafood and steakhouse presence. |
| Yard House | 2012 | $585.0M | Expanded Darden into polished casual dining with a high-energy bar, beer, and broad-menu concept. |
| Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen | 2017 | $780.0M | Added a value-oriented casual dining brand focused on scratch cooking and broad family appeal. |
| Ruth's Hospitality Group | 2023 | $715.0M | Added Ruth's Chris Steak House and expanded Darden's premium steakhouse exposure. |
| Chuy's Holdings | 2024 | $605.0M | Added a Tex-Mex casual dining concept and new restaurant development option. |
2024
$605M
Added a Tex-Mex casual dining concept and new restaurant development option.
Expanded Darden's casual-dining portfolio and contributed to FY2026 sales growth after integration.
Chuy's was included in Darden's FY2026 restaurant-count and sales commentary.
2023
$715M
Added Ruth's Chris Steak House and expanded Darden's premium steakhouse exposure.
Increased the company's fine-dining scale and added a recognized higher-ticket brand.
Ruth's Chris is now one of Darden's named restaurant brands in the company-owned portfolio.
2017
$780M
Added a value-oriented casual dining brand focused on scratch cooking and broad family appeal.
Gave Darden another national casual-dining platform, though performance has required ongoing operating attention.
Cheddar's remains part of the company-owned restaurant portfolio.
2012
$585M
Expanded Darden into polished casual dining with a high-energy bar, beer, and broad-menu concept.
Broadened the portfolio beyond Olive Garden and LongHorn and added a brand suited to urban and entertainment districts.
Yard House remains a meaningful specialty brand within Darden's restaurant portfolio.
2011
$59M
Added Eddie V's Prime Seafood and The Wildfish Seafood Grille to expand Darden's higher-ticket seafood and steakhouse presence.
Strengthened Darden's specialty restaurant group and gave the company another premium concept with expansion potential.
Eddie V's remains part of Darden's fine-dining portfolio.
2007
$1.4B
Added LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille, giving Darden stronger steakhouse exposure across casual and fine-dining occasions.
LongHorn became one of Darden's most important growth brands, while The Capital Grille strengthened the company's premium dining portfolio.
The deal remains central to Darden's modern brand mix and helped reduce dependence on Olive Garden alone.
Darden grows through three levers: same-restaurant sales, new restaurant openings and acquisitions. It bought Ruth's Hospitality Group for $715 million in 2023 and Chuy's for about $605 million in 2024, folding both into Darden's purchasing and support platform. Organic growth comes from opening new Olive Garden, LongHorn, Yard House, Cheddar's and Chuy's units each year. Darden is also pruning: Bahama Breeze locations are being closed or converted to other brands by Q4 FY2027. Off-premise sales, including first-party delivery fulfilled by Uber Direct, give the brands another channel without handing customer data to third-party apps.
Darden makes money by selling food and drinks in restaurants it operates itself. Unlike franchise-heavy chains such as McDonald's or Yum Brands, almost all of its roughly 2,200 restaurants are company-owned, so Darden books the full restaurant sales and carries the food, labor and occupancy costs. A small number of restaurants run under franchise and licensing agreements, mainly outside the U.S. The company reports four segments: Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Fine Dining (Ruth's Chris, The Capital Grille, Eddie V's) and Other Business (Yard House, Cheddar's, Chuy's, Seasons 52 and the remaining Bahama Breeze units). Brand teams run menus and guest experience, while a shared support center in Orlando handles purchasing, distribution, real estate, technology, finance and HR. In Q1 FY2027, Olive Garden produced $1.33 billion of the $3.20 billion total, LongHorn $861 million, Fine Dining $304 million and Other Business $705 million.
In 2007 Darden acquired RARE Hospitality International in a deal valued at about $1.4 billion including debt, adding LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille. LongHorn is now Darden's second-largest brand.
In June 2023 Darden acquired Ruth's Hospitality Group for $715 million in cash, adding roughly 150 Ruth's Chris Steak House restaurants to its Fine Dining segment.
In October 2024, Darden completed the $605 million acquisition of Chuy's Holdings, adding approximately 100 full-service, scratch-made Tex-Mex restaurants across 15 states, filling a long-standing culinary whitespace in Darden's multi-brand portfolio.
In 2012 Darden acquired Yard House for $585 million, adding an upscale-casual brand known for its large draft beer selection and appeal in urban and entertainment districts.
In 2017 Darden acquired Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen for $780 million, adding a value-focused scratch-kitchen brand with about 165 restaurants, most in the South and Midwest.
In 2011 Darden acquired Eddie V's Prime Seafood and Wildfish Seafood Grille for $59 million, adding a premium seafood and steak concept to its specialty restaurant group.
Darden owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Chuy's, Seasons 52 and Eddie V's, plus the remaining Bahama Breeze units being closed or converted by Q4 FY2027.
Selling Red Lobster to Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion in 2014 let Darden pay down debt and focus on Olive Garden, LongHorn and specialty brands, later adding Cheddar's, Ruth's Chris and Chuy's.
Darden aggressively acquires struggling or regional chains to plug into their massive supply chain. Major acquisitions include Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen in 2017 ($780 million) and a massive $715 million acquisition of Ruth's Chris Steak House in 2023 to dominate fine dining.
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