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June 30, 2022

LongHorn Steakhouse eyes takeover of former Dakota Steakhouse property in Rocky Hill 

A rendering of a LongHorn Steakhouse location planned at 1489 Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill.
By Skyler Frazer

A new steakhouse could be moving into the former Dakota Steakhouse property on the Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill, but it’ll come with a new building and look.

The Rocky Hill Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved a beer, wine and liquor permit for RARE Hospitality International, a division of Darden Restaurants Inc., to open a LongHorn Steakhouse at 1489 Silas Deane Highway, the site of a former Dakota Steakhouse. The property is already zoned for restaurants and is in the town’s regional commercial zoning district.

The PZC held public comment for the proposal June 15 and later unanimously approved the liquor application. While one might assume the former Dakota Steakhouse building would serve the needs of a similar franchise, the plan is to tear down the existing building and build a new restaurant with a “smaller footprint,” according to Rocky Hill Town Planner Kim Ricci.

Ricci said a discussion about site plans for the new LongHorn Steakhouse building will be on the PZC’s July 20 agenda. James Fazio of JF IV Holdings LLC currently owns the property.

According to the application, the new 5,710-square-foot restaurant would have about 90 full- and part-time employees and operate from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There would be 184 seats for dining and between 120-125 parking spots are typically needed for a standalone LongHorn, company officials said.
 

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