ORLANDO, Fla., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LongHorn Steakhouse today announced the opening of its eighth location in the Orlando area. The restaurant, best known for its atmosphere and flavor of the American West, is located at 5449 Gateway Village Circle in Orlando. As part of its pre-opening training period, the restaurant recently hosted a Friends and Family night which helped raise more than $5,000 for the American Red Cross.

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The 6,125-square foot restaurant will employ up to 80 team members and seat more than 240 guests. John Rucker, a restaurant industry veteran of 17 years, will serve as managing partner.

"LongHorn is proud to be active in the Orlando community, and we are pleased to be opening another location in the area," said John Rucker. "We look forward to helping our guests relax and unwind in an inviting atmosphere while savoring a great steakhouse meal served with genuine western hospitality. We're also pleased we could help support the American Red Cross and look forward to making more contributions to the community for many years to come."

LongHorn opened its first restaurant in Atlanta 28 years ago and has grown steadily -- becoming known for its passion for grilling fresh, never frozen, steaks served in a relaxed, comfortable steakhouse atmosphere. LongHorn is known for more than its signature hand-seasoned Flo's Filet and the bone-in Outlaw Ribeye.  LongHorn chefs love to grill fresh fish and chicken in addition to steak. Items such as LongHorn Salmon, a fresh, hand-cut salmon fillet seasoned with a bourbon marinade; fall-off-the-bone tender Baby Back Ribs; and Parmesan Crusted Chicken, two juicy chicken breasts grilled and topped with a parmesan cheese and garlic crust, are just some of the other specialties guests will find on the menu.

The restaurant opens daily at 11:00 a.m. for lunch.  It is open until 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

ABOUT LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE

More than 25 years after opening its first restaurant in Atlanta, today LongHorn Steakhouse operates more than 300 restaurants in 30 states.  LongHorn is a division of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI), the world's largest full-service restaurant operating company. For more information about LongHorn, please visit www.longhornsteakhouse.com.

DRI: G

SOURCE Darden Restaurants, Inc.: General

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