You’re driving through a suburban sprawl, past a Target and a Home Depot, and there it is. The faux-stone tower. The promise of never-ending carbohydrates. It feels like Olive Garden is literally everywhere, doesn't it? Like they just sprouted out of the pavement overnight in every single town in America.
But if you actually try to pin down the number, things get a little fuzzy. Is it five hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand?
People argue about this more than you'd think, especially when a local branch closes or a new one pops up in a town that definitely didn't have one last year. Honestly, the footprint of this pasta empire is much more calculated than most of us realize. It isn't just "everywhere." It's strategically placed where the breadstick demand is highest.
The Real Count: How Many Olive Garden's Are There Right Now?
As of early 2026, the official count for Olive Garden locations has climbed to 936 company-owned restaurants in the United States.
That number isn't just a random guess. It comes straight from Darden Restaurants' latest fiscal reports. If you haven't kept up with the corporate drama, Darden is the massive parent company that owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and a bunch of others. They’ve been on a slow and steady expansion kick lately.
While 936 is the "official" U.S. number for company-owned spots, the global reality is slightly larger. You’ve got to factor in the international presence. We're talking about roughly 950+ locations worldwide when you include the franchised spots in places like Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, and Kuwait.
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Funny enough, even with nearly a thousand locations, there are still places where you can't get those salad bowls. Looking at you, Alaska. They still don’t have a single one.
The State-by-State Breadstick Breakdown
If you live in Texas, you're basically in the Olive Garden capital of the world.
Texas holds the crown with over 115 locations. It makes sense. Everything is bigger there, including the appetite for unlimited soup and salad. Florida and California follow closely behind, each hovering around the 80-location mark.
It’s a weirdly accurate map of American population density.
Where the people go, the fettuccine follows. You'll find a massive concentration of these restaurants in the South and the Midwest. In states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, Olive Garden serves as a social pillar for Friday night dinners and high school prom dates.
- Texas: 117 locations (and growing)
- Florida: 80 locations
- California: 79 locations
- Ohio/Pennsylvania: Mid-30s each
Contrast that with states like Vermont or Delaware. You might only find one or two in the entire state. If you’re in North Dakota, you have one of the best "ratios" in the country—fewer people competing for the same amount of breadsticks per capita.
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The Great Canadian Expansion of 2026
Something big just happened up north.
For a long time, Canada only had a handful of Olive Gardens, mostly out west in places like Winnipeg and Edmonton. But in July 2025, a company called Recipe Unlimited (the folks behind Swiss Chalet and Harvey's) bought out the Canadian rights.
They aren't playing around.
By the summer of 2026, they are opening new spots in Ottawa (Westboro) and Vaughan Mills in Ontario. Their goal is to open 30 more locations over the next decade. If you've been craving a Tour of Italy in Toronto, your time is finally coming.
This move is a massive shift in how the brand grows. Instead of Darden managing every single store from their headquarters in Orlando, they're letting local experts take the reins in new markets. It's a "franchise-lite" model that’s helping the total global count creep toward that 1,000-unit milestone.
Why Some Locations Close (While Others Pop Up)
You might have seen a "closed" sign on an Olive Garden recently and wondered if the empire is crumbling.
It's not.
Darden is actually becoming more aggressive about "optimizing" their real estate. Basically, they'd rather close an older, 1990s-style building with high maintenance costs and open a shiny, slightly smaller version two miles down the road in a busier shopping center.
The new stores look different. They’re ditching some of the heavy "Tuscan farmhouse" vibes for something a bit sleeker. They are also building them with dedicated "To-Go" entrances because, let’s be honest, half of us are just there to pick up a catering order of breadsticks and eat them in our pajamas anyway.
The Strategy Behind the 936
Darden CEO Rick Cardenas has been pretty vocal about why they don't just open 5,000 stores.
They want "profitable growth."
Every time they look at how many Olive Garden's are there, they're looking at "white space"—areas where people are moving but the casual dining options are slim. They target the suburbs. They avoid high-rent urban centers (like Manhattan) because the math just doesn't work for a $15 plate of pasta.
They also focus on "same-restaurant sales." It’s a business term that basically means: "Are the people who already have an Olive Garden nearby eating there more often?" Lately, the answer has been yes. They’ve been leaning hard into value, like the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl, to keep those 936 kitchens busy.
What This Means for Your Next Dinner
If you’re trying to find a table, the sheer number of locations is actually a double-edged sword.
Even with nearly 1,000 spots, the "busy" factor is real. On a Saturday night, about 25% of all locations are at peak capacity with a wait time of 30 minutes or more.
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Here’s the pro move: use the app.
Because Darden has standardized the technology across all 936+ U.S. and Canadian locations, you can join the waitlist before you even leave your house. It’s a far cry from the days of standing in a crowded lobby holding a buzzing plastic coaster.
Actionable Takeaways for the Olive Garden Fan
- Check the map before you travel: If you're heading to the Pacific Northwest or New England, locations are sparser than in the South. Plan your carb-loading accordingly.
- Watch the "New Build" areas: If a new suburban development is popping up near you with a Chick-fil-A and a Starbucks, an Olive Garden is likely on the 24-month horizon.
- Exploit the "To-Go" windows: The newest locations (built 2024-2026) have much better infrastructure for takeout. If your local spot feels cramped, look for a newer one nearby for a better experience.
- Don't wait for Alaska: It's still not happening. If you're in Anchorage, you're stuck with local Italian for now.
The number of Olive Gardens will likely hit 1,000 globally by the end of 2027. It’s a slow, methodical march across the map, fueled by a seemingly bottomless supply of salad dressing and a business model that refuses to quit. Whether you love the food or just the consistency, that familiar stone tower isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
If you're planning a visit, check the Darden "Wait Times" feature on their site or app—it pulls real-time data from all 936 locations to tell you exactly how long you'll be waiting for that first basket of breadsticks.