Darden Restaurants, the US owner of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille, is looking for one or more franchise partners to launch those brands in the United Kingdom. Brad Smith, Darden’s president of international and franchising, set out the plan in an interview published by The Caterer on 15 October 2026.

Darden expects to work with more than one partner in the UK but aims to have a single partner for each brand’s nationwide rollout, The Caterer reported. Smith said he expected to launch within two years of finding the right franchise partner. No partner has been named. Darden has not disclosed how many restaurants it wants per brand, the development commitment it would ask of a partner, the investment involved or its fees.

Regional cities first, London later

According to The Caterer, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol are among the cities where Darden would aim to debut Olive Garden and LongHorn. Smith said London would not be a priority for those brands because of the cost of real estate and the level of competition, although The Capital Grille could make its UK launch in London.

Smith told The Caterer that central London could come later as a flagship location for Olive Garden or LongHorn, but would not be the starting point.

Smith told the title that the core family customer was more likely to be found in suburban and regional locations. He described Olive Garden as American-Italian rather than an attempt to emulate Italy, with large portions, and said every entrée at every Olive Garden comes with never-ending soup or salad and breadsticks, an offer he said competitors had tried to replicate without finding a way to make the economics work.

Darden’s scale and what it asks of partners

In its fiscal 2027 first quarter results, published on 24 September, Darden reported 2,218 company-owned restaurants in its continuing operations at 30 August 2026, up from 2,165 a year earlier. Quarterly sales rose 5.1% to $3.2 billion. Same-restaurant sales, on a fiscal calendar basis, rose 1.1% at Olive Garden and 6.2% at LongHorn Steakhouse, and the company reaffirmed its full-year outlook. The results release did not discuss a UK launch.

The Caterer reported that the group has 175 franchised restaurants outside the US, in countries including Spain, China and India, and that the UK move comes more than a decade after Darden launched its first international franchise. According to the report, Smith said Darden has the systems, tools and resources to take on a sophisticated market such as the UK.

Darden’s international franchising website, linked from its corporate site, says it looks for partners with established operational experience in the restaurant, retail or hospitality industry, a proven management team, the ability to develop at least one Darden brand in a certain country or territory, and enough capital to support investment funding. It says each request is considered individually, depending on the growth potential of the applicant’s market.

F&B Today’s reading

  • Analysis: one partner per brand favours well-capitalised, multi-site franchisees with property teams and existing landlord relationships. Smaller operators are unlikely to be in the frame for the first agreements.
  • Analysis: starting in regional cities rather than central London points to retail park and suburban sites, the same large-format units sought by casual dining and drive-thru operators, which could add competition for those leases.
  • Analysis: for UK suppliers of pasta, sauces, bakery and beef, a US casual dining entrant typically brings specification and approval work well before opening. On Smith’s timetable, openings would follow a partner signing by up to two years, so the commercial opportunity is not immediate.