Mar 25
HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Baker Katz, a Houston commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail tenant representation, handled the execution of five Texas leases on behalf of Darden Restaurants, a national restaurant organization.
Darden Restaurants’ core brands include Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse.
In the quarter ending Feb. 23, Orlando-based Darden reported sales of $3.2 billion, up 6.2% from a year earlier.
Darden’s Acquisition of Texas-based Chuy’s
Darden also owns Chuy’s, a Mexican Food that was founded in Austin and was acquired in October 2024 for $605 million. Over 100 Chuy’s restaurants were included in the sale.
As part of Darden’s Texas expansion, multiple new restaurants are opening across the Houston and Rio Grande Valley areas.
Growth in the Lone Star State
Darden’s recent Texas activity, according to Baker Katz, included:
Olive Garden: Baker Katz recently supported the leasing of two Olive Garden locations. The first Olive Garden lease is a 7,805-SF restaurant location in Portland, Texas, opening in Q2 2025. Lynann Pinkham of Cravey Real Estate represented the landlord in the transaction. The second lease is a 7,825-SF location at The District in Edinburg, Texas, set to open in 2026. Ron Reimer of First Hartford Realty represented the landlord in the transaction.
Cheddar’s: Baker Katz also represented Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in two new leases. The first is a 6,142-SF location in Donna, Texas, under construction with a scheduled opening of Q3 2025. Brian Smith of Merit Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord in the transaction. The second Cheddar’s restaurant is located in North McAllen, Texas, at Trenton North Shopping Center and is expected to open in Q4 2025. Louie Tijernia of CBRE represented the landlord in the transaction.
LongHorn Steakhouse: Baker Katz represented the LongHorn Steakhouse location in fast growing Baytown, Texas, which opened a month ago. Bob Conwell and Austin Baldridge with NewQuest Properties represted the landlord in the transaction.
Baker Katz brokers Jason Baker and Traci Holman represented Darden Restaurants in all five transactions.
“We are proud to support Darden Restaurants and their mission to expand throughout the Lone State State,” said Traci Holman of Baker Katz. “Darden continues to prosper across Texas, bringing its well-established and growing brands to numerous markets with multiple dining options for guests.”