Hutchinson Regional Medical Center has apparently agreed to sell land to the Darden Group out of Orlando, Florida, who operate a number of restaurant chains including Olive Garden.

Rich Jeffers of the company confirming to Eagle Radio and the Hutchpost that they will build an Olive Garden restaurant in Hutchinson on a strip of along 17th Street east of Waldron and west of K-61.

They company handles other restaurants chains as well such as Longhorn Steakhouse, Red Lobster, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and Eddie V’s, but Jeffers says only the Olive Garden will be built by their company at that location. According to their website, the operate 2=thousand stores under the various brands and have 180-thousand employees.

Jeffers says they will go into the permit phase of getting the store going, then will begin building on the site and hope to have it open by sometime next spring.

We had been told Friday morning that someone had looked over the land, and that the appraisers office had been contacted about the parcels of land.

But so far, no paper work has arrived at City Hall according to City Manager John Deardoff. He also serves on the hospital board and wouldn’t comment on the selling of the land by the local hospital group, nor would Hospital President and CEO, Kevin Miller.

But, Jeffers who handles media inquiries for the company called us and confirmed that they have acquired the land and will open a local restaurant.