This is an official heads-up for breadstick lovers: Olive Garden is coming back to Ontario.
The first new Olive Garden restaurant will open in the GTA at Vaughan Mills, followed by a second location in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood, and both are expected to open this summer!
If nothing else, there’s a clear nostalgia factor at play: Olive Garden is known for its generous portions and family-friendly dining experience. The Italian-inspired restaurant previously expanded across Ontario in the 1990s, getting diners hooked on never-ending servings of freshly baked breadsticks, iconic garden salads, and homemade soups, but its restaurants ultimately closed province-wide by the end of that decade.
Last July, Recipe Restaurant Group International bought the remaining eight Olive Garden restaurants in Canada, which were operating across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The company also signed a national development agreement with Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden’s U.S.-based parent company) to expand the chain across the country, so perhaps this could pave the way for even more locations!
“With these upcoming openings, we’re taking an important step in expanding Olive Garden’s footprint into new Canadian markets,” Frank Hennessey, Chief Executive Officer of Recipe Restaurant Group, said in a statement. “This expansion reflects our confidence in the brand, the strength of our partnership with Darden, and our ability to execute thoughtfully and strategically across Canada.”
Announcements regarding future restaurants will be shared in the coming months as Olive Garden’s Canadian expansion continues. In the meantime, die-hard pasta lovers are already weighing in on where they’d like to see the next Ontario opening.
“Pickering or Ajax. My husband proposed at Peterborough, ON location 33 years ago,” one Insta user said.
Others had entire wish lists:
“Windsor, London, K-W, Niagara area (rumoured to get one soon), Halton and Peel Regions, Durham Region, Barrie, Kingston.”
“Square one area and Oakville again.”
“We need it back at Sherway gardens.”
In addition to Olive Garden, Recipe International has nearly 1,100 recognizable restaurants across Canada. Its brands include Swiss Chalet, St-Hubert, Harvey’s, Montana’s, Olive Garden, New York Fries, Kelsey’s Original Roadhouse, East Side Mario’s, Original Joe’s, State & Main, Anejo, The Burger’s Priest, The Landing Group, Elephant & Castle, Fresh Kitchen + Juice Bar, The Pickle Barrel, Blanco Cantina and Bier Markt.
