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Olive Garden is coming to Saskatchewan

Regina's new Olive Garden will be slanging bread sticks and pasta out of its location at the Grasslands Shopping Centre, while the location in Saskatoon is expected to open up at Preston Crossing.

Morgan Modjeski • Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Mar 26, 2019 • March 26, 2019 • 1 minute read • Join the conversation

Land at the Preston Crossing Shopping Centre that was once the home of Chilli's Restaurant is rumoured to be the future site of a Olive Garden Restaurant in Saskatoon, Sask. on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. Photo by Liam Richards /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Olive Garden is coming to Saskatchewan and will bring about 300 jobs with it, according to officials with the restaurant's parent company.

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The Italian restaurant chain will open two locations, one in Saskatoon and one in Regina. Meagan Bernstein, manager of public relations and communications with Darden Restaurants, said each location will create "about 150 jobs."

Regina's new Olive Garden will sling bread sticks and pasta out of a location at the Grasslands Shopping Centre; the location in Saskatoon is expected to open at Preston Crossing .

"We do not have an official opening date for either location; however, we plan to start construction soon," Bernstein wrote in an email. "We're excited to open in these areas because we've seen great support from the community and believe there is long term growth potential."

Business experts in Saskatoon said the restaurant will be a welcome addition.

"It's very important that we have both sides of that coin, that equation, in terms of local, organic businesses that are grown right here in Saskatoon, as well as chain versions of business that come into Saskatoon," said Darla Lindbjerg, CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.

With Saskatoon the youngest, fastest growing metropolitan area in Canada, restaurant chains like Olive Garden and other businesses "are taking notice and seeing the potential here in Saskatoon," she said.

Terri Klyne, director of property management with Harvard Property Management Inc. in Saskatchewan — which operates the Preston Crossing open-air retail space — said the company is excited to have Olive Garden come into the mix.

"Olive Garden is a household name in many other provinces and we are definitely excited to have them come to site," Klyne said. "We expect that it will open to great fanfare."

mmodjeski@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/_MorganModjeski

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