After years of slow expansion, Darden Restaurants Inc. is ramping up growth plans for its grill and wine bar concept Seasons 52.
The opening Oct. 4 of a new Seasons 52 in Plano, Texas, will bring the total number of the upscale concept's locations to 13. By fall 2011, Darden expects have 19 Seasons 52 restaurants in operation.
Seasons 52 was founded in 2003 in Orlando, Fla., where Darden is based. The company initially tested the concept with seven restaurants in Florida and the Atlanta area before deciding to expand it to other markets.
At the site of the newest restaurant in Plano, executives from Seasons 52 met with Nation's Restaurant News and discussed the brand's growth plans and menu strategy.
Watch the videos:
- Stephen Judge, president of Seasons 52, talks about what distinguishes what he calls “a change, not a chain, concept” and the development plans in the year ahead.
- Cliff Pleau, senior director of culinary and beverage and the founding chef of Seasons 52, discusses the concept's seasonal menu and consumer reaction.
- George Miliotes, director of beverage and hospitality, discusses the beverage program at Seasons 52.
Seasons 52’s main menu changes four times a year and is accented with a section that changes weekly under the direction of a local chef-partner. Using wood-fired grills and brick ovens, all menu items contain less than 475 calories. Entrée prices range from $11.95 for a Mediterranean shrimp salad to $26.95 for a rack of New Zealand lamb with mint pesto, new potatoes, haricots vert and balsamic red onions.
The newest 300-seat Plano location offers a chef’s table, private-dining areas and two bars: one indoors that surrounds a pianist and one open to the outdoors and patio seating. The next openings this fall are in Phoenix, Ariz., and Coral Gables, Fla.
In a recent conference call with analysts, Gene Lee, president of Darden’s specialty restaurant group, explained that the time was right for the company to grow its upscale brands like Seasons 52.
"Not a lot of new high-end restaurants are being built out there, which is providing us an opportunity from a development standpoint," he said.
Seasons 52’s same-store sales in the first quarter, which ended Aug. 29, were up 5.8 percent and sales in the then-11-unit division were $16 million.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].