Olive Garden launches in India as Gourmet targets 125 restaurants

Olive Garden has entered India as Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group sets out to almost double its restaurant base over the next three years, betting that affluent and middle-class consumers still have room to trade up even as inflation and delivery competition squeeze the market.

The group, which already operates PizzaExpress and Chili’s in India, said it wants to grow from about 55 restaurants now to between 100 and 125 across formats and categories. Chief executive Rohan Pewekar said Olive Garden’s India business should pass 10 outlets in its initial three-year phase, then accelerate more quickly, with large cities at the center of the rollout.

The launch gives Gourmet Investments a new premium casual-dining platform in a market where foreign restaurant brands are increasingly trying to balance global identity with local tastes. Olive Garden, founded in 1982 and now operating nearly 1,000 restaurants in 12 countries, is being introduced with its core menu largely intact, but with more vegetarian choices to fit India’s dining preferences.

That localization is critical. India’s restaurant market has become more segmented, with global chains competing not just on brand recognition but on price, convenience and menu adaptation. McDonald’s and Domino’s Pizza have already tuned pricing and offerings to local demand, including value-led items priced below $1, while premium operators are chasing consumers looking for familiar Western brands, family-friendly settings and a more elevated dining experience.

Gourmet Investments did not disclose financial figures for the launch, but the expansion plan signals confidence that India’s urban consumption story still has room to run. The company has been identified in some coverage as Bharti Family Office-backed and was set up in 2012 with the stated aim of bringing global restaurant brands into the country. Beyond PizzaExpress and Chili’s, it has also introduced Ministry of Crab and PF Chang’s to the domestic market.

The bigger question is whether Olive Garden becomes a durable draw for India’s rising urban consumers or a bet on aspirational spending that could prove vulnerable if inflation persists. For now, Gourmet Investments is making a clear judgment: in India’s largest cities, there is still demand for recognizable global dining brands, and enough of it to justify a faster, broader push.