Olive Garden is one of two Darden Restaurants set to open in the new Penitas Crossing shopping center next fall. According to a permit filed on the same day as Darden sibling eatery, LongHorn Steakhouse, the Italian-inspired chain is set to open at 2325 Expressway 83 in Penitas in Fall 2026.
The permit for the new Olive Garden details that construction on the new Penitas Crossing addition is set to start at the end of March next year and wrap up in October 2026. According to My San Antonio, construction on the 7,487-square-foot Darden Restaurants eatery is expected to wrap up at the same time as the LongHorn Steakhouse. Each construction project will cost the multi-concept restaurant group a whopping $2 million to erect.
What Now San Antonio spoke with Darden construction manager, Jim Powell, about the two openings, who confirmed that both brands would be opening the two new locations in the Penitas Crossing shopping center next fall. What Now San Antonio also reached out to Olive Garden’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Wayne Covey, for more details about the opening, but did not hear back by the time of this publication.
San Antonio has been a major hub for the brand alongside Houston since it first entered the Texas market. Olive Garden started as a unit of General Mills. The cereal conglomerate entered the restaurant industry in 1970 when Red Lobster founder Bill Darden sold off his business to their company. Co-founders Blaine Sweatt, Mark Given, Gino DeSantis, and Dave Manuchia opened the first Olive Garden in Orlando, Florida, in December 1982.
From the very beginning, Olive Garden was designed to be a chain restaurant. By 1989, there were already 154 locations. Today, parent company Darden Restaurants-which besides LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden owns a host of other chains like Yard House, now runs more than 900 Olive Garden locations throughout the country. Texas has about 12%, or nearly 120, Olive Garden eateries cooking up and dishing out the iconic Italian-inspired food to its customers and beloved fans.
