The Orlando owner of Olive Garden and other chain restaurants is buying Winter Park-based Ruth’s Hospitality Group for about $715 million.
Ruth’s has 80 company-owned or operated Ruth’s Chris Steak House restaurants and 74 franchised locations worldwide. “Ruth’s Chris is a strong and distinctive brand in the fine dining segment with an impressive history of delivering elevated dining experiences to their loyal guests,” Cardenas said in a news release. " … Ruth’s Chris is a great complement to our portfolio of brands, and I’m pleased to welcome their nearly 5,000 team members to Darden.”
The company last acquired Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in 2017 for $780 million. Cheddar’s had 165 restaurants at the time of the deal., telling the Orlando Sentinel last year he would want a full-service restaurant able to make a “meaningful difference” in Darden’s future.