Darden Restaurants Inc. saw a big opportunity last year.

The Orlando, Fla.-based casual dining chain, which operates Red Lobster and Olive Garden, wanted to expand and diversify its portfolio into a different segment of the restaurant business.

Its choice: get into the $13 billion casual steakhouse category in which Outback Steakhouse dominates.

Last fall, Darden bought LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants, the nation's second-largest casual steakhouse operator. It plans to double the size of the 300-restaurant chain in the next decade.

LongHorn opened its first Richmond-area location recently in the Short Pump Station shopping center on West Broad Street in western Henrico County. Another location should open this year or next year in Chesterfield County.

"It was an attractive company for Darden to acquire," spokesman Rich Jeffers said about LongHorn. "The casual steakhouse business is a huge segment. This acquisition put us right there with a brand that has great operational excellence."

Darden is tweaking LongHorn so it can compete better against steakhouse chains. Some of those changes are evident in the Short Pump location, which is LongHorn's fifth restaurant in Virginia.

The interior has a subtle Western theme, with prints of cowboys on the walls.

The idea is for LongHorn to have a ranch house feel, not a roadhouse, Jeffers said. The restaurant uses dark woods and softer lighting to give it a more refined look, he said.

"It feels a little more upscale . . . like a high-end steakhouse," he said. "But it is still relaxed and comfortable."

LongHorn opened its first restaurant in Atlanta in 1981.

By 1992, when it had 19 locations, the chain decided to begin opening 20 to 30 locations a year -- which it plans to do this year under Darden's ownership.

"We think the concept itself has the ability be a national brand," Jeffers said.

New bookstore operator

Look for the sister company of giant bookstore operator Barnes & Noble to run the bookstores at Virginia Commonwealth University beginning this summer.

VCU and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers signed a five-year deal for the company to manage the bookstores at VCU's Monroe Park and MCV campuses. The booksellers is a privately held sister company to Barnes & Noble Inc.

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers operates more than 650 college bookstores. The company has more than 25 bookstores at Virginia campuses including those at the College of William and Mary and George Mason University.

As part of the deal, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers will make significant renovations at both campus locations and will eventually offer a greatly expanded selection of general books and VCU clothing as well as textbooks.

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers will replace Follett Corp., which has managed the VCU Bookstores for 12 years.

New McDonald's

Kids visiting the Children's Museum of Richmond have a new place to grab a Happy Meal.

A much bigger and swankier McDonald's has opened at 2700 W. Broad St. near the museum. In fact, the restaurant now faces the museum's entrance and parking lot rather than Broad Street.

The old restaurant was torn down last fall -- along with several buildings nearby, including Rainbow Donuts -- to make way for the new McDonald's.

The new digs has 95 seats compared with 43 at the old one. The interior is more modern-looking with a couple of flat-screen television sets. And it features a McCafé with the chain's new line of specialty coffees.

Contact Gregory J. Gilligan at (804) 649-6379 or ggilligan@timesdispatch.com.