All Cheddars owned by midstate franchise have been sold

All the Cheddar restaurants owned by a midstate franchise company were sold Monday.

State Rep. Allen Peake and Byron City Councilman Mike Chumbley, who co-own Macon-based C&P Restaurant Co., announced Monday they have signed an agreement to sell all 11 of their Cheddar stores located throughout Georgia, according to a news release. The restaurants were sold to Darden Restaurants, the new owner of Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

Peake and Chumbley also sold the development rights for Cheddars in Alabama and Georgia.

“Nothing will change for our guests as a result of this deal,” Peake said in the release. “Everything remains business as usual for our restaurants. This is an exciting time for our team members as they prepare to join the Darden family.

“It has been an incredible honor for Mike and me to be Cheddars franchisees for the last 17 years. We are so grateful for the relationships we have enjoyed with all our valued employees and look forward to a bright future for each of them as the Cheddars brand continues to grow.”

In addition to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Orlando, Florida-based Darden is a restaurant company featuring several different brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s. It employs more than 175,000 employees in nearly 1,700 restaurants.

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 12:52 PM with the headline "All Cheddars owned by midstate franchise have been sold."