When you think Olive Garden, you think of those endless breadsticks and that delicious bottomless salad — you definitely don’t think tacos and nachos.

But the parent company of Olive Garden, Darden Restaurants, has purchased the entire chain of Tex-Mex favorite, Chuy’s. Darden is also home to Longhorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Cheddars and Bahama Breeze nationally.

Earlier this month, Darden did an all-cash purchase of every single Chuy’s location in America, to the tune of for $605 million.

There are 102 locations of Chuy’s in 19 states.

The CEO of Chuy’s, Steven Hislop, says the Mexican haunt is “excited about the opportunity.”

“Darden shares many of our same core values, particularly our operating philosophy and strong team member cultures,” he says. “Together we will accelerate our business goals and bring our authentic, made-from-scratch Tex-Mex to more guests and communities.”

According to a press release about the sale, Chuy’s pulled in more than $31 million in net revenue in 2023, so a smart purchase on Darden’s part.

Could this result in an Italian/Mexican mashup restaurant in the future? Probably not, but Darden has a solid resume of success in the industry.

And hey, we can dream, right?

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more!