AN Olive Garden located in a major US city has closed for good, leaving fans wondering where they can go for Italian-American comfort food.
The Scottsdale, Arizona, store closure took place on July 7 after developers swiped up the property and bulldozed the building.
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The Olive Garden, located at the southern edge of Old Town, will be replaced by a 200-plus bed, six-story build for the Osborn Residential Health Care Facility.
According to Aspirant Development, the Scottsdale City Council approved the plan for the facility in September 2022.
While Olive Garden fans are mourning the loss of the beloved spot, the developers say: “The Osborn will bring redevelopment of an underutilized site,” according to the East Valley Tribune.
“The synergy of uses between the proposed residential healthcare use and existing adjacent HonorHealth campus and commercial businesses will bolster the economic vitality offering an ideal context for seniors to ‘age in place,'” the company said.
The closure came just weeks after another Olive Garden in Owning Mills, Maryland, shuttered for good.
The restaurant owner told local ABC affiliate WMAR it had not renewed its lease, but they did not want to share further details.
Customers have shared their thoughts about the closing on social media.
“I’m so mad Olive Garden in Owing Mills is closing,” posted one.
Another tweeted: “Somebody needs to take me for some endless zuppa Toscana one last time because I’ll never be going out of my way for an Olive Garden.”
Those who are willing to drive to a different location can use the restaurant’s store locator tool to find the next closest spot.
But Olive Garden is not the only restaurant chain closing down locations in the US.
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Last month, Applebee’s at Bay Terrace Shopping Center in Queens, New York shut down for good.
Cord Meyer, the owner of the shopping center, said the restaurant was kicked out after the franchise holder failed to pay a whopping $1.2million in owed rent.
The landlord claimed it had made “rent reductions and rent abatements throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” but did not receive the money it was owed by the Applebee’s owner.
Meanwhile, Cracker Barrel has closed a location in Jackson, Mississippi.
“It is not uncommon for a store’s traffic patterns and volumes to change over time, and we saw this occur in Jackson coming out of the pandemic,” the restaurant chain said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.
“Despite the strong efforts of our employees, our Jackson store was unable to overcome these and other challenges.
The chain, known for its breakfast offerings, has also shut down four locations in Oregon in recent months.
The company again cited the pandemic as a reason for the closures, according to a statement published by local NBC affiliate KGW.
