The former Fatz Cafe restaurant building in AV¶ÌÊÓƵ may be demolished to make way for an Olive Garden.
Plans for the new Olive Garden restaurant are under review with the city of Morganton, City Manager Sally Sandy said. She said the city received a set of plans recently. AV¶ÌÊÓƵ Development and Design Director Wendy Smith has spoken with the project architect and Olive Garden officials.
Sandy said the city was working with the restaurant to schedule a review of the plans.
Sandy said Olive Garden officials planned to demolish the former Fatz restaurant building, located at 2111 S. Sterling St., in Morganton, and build on the site.
Sandy said national chains often find it more financially beneficial to have a building built to the chain’s design.
The Fatz building has been sitting empty since August 2023, when Fatz Cafe closed all of its locations and filed for bankruptcy.
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Brittany Baron, a spokesperson for Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden, said there isn’t a lot she can share. She said the company doesn’t comment on specific plans until a project has received the necessary approvals.
No permits have been issued for the site, Smith said. She hopes to have a response back to Olive Garden this week on its latest submitted set of plans.
Smith said if a building permit is issued, it would include demolition. No separate demolition permit would be required.
Olive Garden is known for never-ending soup, salads and breadsticks. Its appetizers include fried calamari, fried mozzarella and toasted ravioli. Entrees include chicken Alfredo, shrimp carbonara and chicken parmigiana.
Olive Garden is a part of the Darden Restaurants, which is based in Orlando, Florida. In addition to Olive Garden, the company’s other restaurants are LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s and Bahama Breeze, according to the company.
