Olive Garden's owner wants a UK franchise partner, and Manchester is on the shortlist

Darden Restaurants, the US group behind Olive Garden, is looking for one or more franchise partners to launch three of its brands in the UK, The Caterer reports. The brands are Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille.

The shape of the deal - Darden runs more than 2,100 restaurants across 10 brands, 175 of them franchised outside the US - It wants one partner per brand to lead each national rollout, so more than one UK operator could be appointed - Manchester, Leeds and Bristol are among the cities named for the first Olive Garden and LongHorn sites - Central London is not the starting point, which Darden puts down to property costs and competition. The Capital Grille, aimed at upmarket and business diners, could open in London first - Darden expects to launch within two years of finding the right partner

The value proposition Brad Smith, Darden's president of international and franchising, told The Caterer that the UK market had begun to stabilise after several volatile years. He pointed to unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks with every main as the offer rivals have struggled to make pay.

What it means for operators: a US major is choosing regional and suburban sites over the capital, and it is outsourcing UK execution to franchisees. For groups with multi-site capability and property access outside London, that is a partnership opportunity. For Italian and family casual-dining brands in the named cities, it is a well-funded value competitor on a two-year horizon.