Reflecting trends playing out across the K-shaped U.S. economy, upscale restaurant chains owned by Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.-based restaurant operating group Darden Restaurants have experienced spikes in foot traffic.
Foot traffic analysis firm Placer.ai told SeafoodSource that same-store visits rose 12.3 percent at Eddie V’s, 8 percent at The Capital Grille, and 7 percent at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in February.
These trends represent a continuation from momentum built up in 2025, when the restaurant company’s premium brands realized healthy foot traffic, per a Placer.ai report.
Outside of the company’s fine-dining chains, LongHorn Steakhouse’s comparable store sales rose 7.2 percent in the third fiscal quarter of 2026, which ended 26 February. Olive Garden sales rose 3.2 percent in the period.
“We continue to outperform the industry same-restaurant sales benchmark, and this quarter, we widened that gap as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, and Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen each significantly exceeded the benchmark,” Darden CEO Rick Cardenas said.
Despite overall success in the quarter, winter weather negatively impacted same-restaurant sales by approximately 100 basis points, with more than 40 percent of its restaurants having to close temporarily in January during winter storms, according to Darden Senior Vice President and CFO Rajesh Vennam.
Same-restaurant sales adjusted for weather were greater than 5 percent, marking a strong performance in what is traditionally a high-volume quarter, Vennam added.
“Overall, our teams did a great job managing the business through the volatility created by weather,” he said.
Even with the weather disruptions, though, Darden recorded a total sales increase of 5.9 percent for the three-month period, leading the company to raise its fiscal 2026 outlook to total sales growth of an estimated 9.5 percent.
Darden expects same-restaurant sales growth of approximately 4.5 percent during the year and plans to open around 70 new restaurants.
