Popular American restaurant chain Olive Garden is returning to Ottawa, with a new restaurant in Westboro slated to open this summer.
Recipe Restaurant Group, the Vaughan, Ont.-based company behind eateries such as Montana’s, Swiss Chalet and East Side Mario’s, announced the next phase of its national expansion of the Olive Garden brand in Canada on Thursday.
In July 2025, Recipe acquired the eight existing Olive Garden restaurants in Canada from U.S.-based Darden Restaurants Inc., agreeing to expand the brand across the country.
The first Olive Garden restaurants to open under that agreement would be located at Vaughan Mills in Vaughan and in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood. The restaurants are expected to open in summer 2026, though no specific addresses were given.
“With these upcoming openings, we’re taking an important step in expanding Olive Garden’s footprint into new Canadian markets,” Frank Hennessey, CEO of Recipe Restaurant Group, said in a news release. “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.”
The company said the new restaurants mark an important milestone in growing Olive Garden’s presence beyond western Canada, adding that other locations are in “various stages of planning as Recipe continues to build a long-term, sustainable development pipeline across the country.”
Darden had expanded the Olive Garden brand into Ontario in the 1990s, with two locations in Ottawa. But, by the end of the decade, Darden had shuttered its 11 Ontario locations.
Matthew Jackson, vice-president at real estate firm CBRE in Toronto, believes Olive Garden is poised for success in eastern Canada.
“There’s a huge market to tap into in Eastern Canada, where the population is large and has general familiarity with the Olive Garden brand, if not fond memories of the restaurant itself,” Jackson said in a blog post on the CBRE website last September. “There’s pent-up demand and nostalgia for this type of restaurant so it’s a good time for Olive Garden to make a comeback.”
He added that the chain’s emphasis on value will give it a competitive edge. “The value segment is thriving right now because people want to get the most bang for their buck.That’s also why we’re seeing chains like Dollarama, Value Village, Maxi and No Frills do so well.”
While he noted that retail vacancies in Canada are relatively low and may slow Olive Garden’s Canadian expansion, Recipe should be able to secure new locations.
“The retail market is very strong right now,” Jackson said in the post. “There’s a lack of new product being built, a lot of competition for space and landlords are asking top dollar. But Recipe Unlimited’s strong covenant, ability to increase foot traffic and general reputation should help them to make deals happen.”
Jackson added that Olive Garden will see more success if it targets locations in the suburbs, rather than in city centres. “Going urban would be unlikely because the lease rates are high and that’s not where the key Olive Garden customers are,” he said in the post.