New Garden Catering Restaurant Planned For Darien

DARIEN, CT — Residents who love Garden Catering will no longer have to drive out of town to get their hand-cut chicken nuggets and crispy potato cones, as the fast casual chain announced this week plans to open a new location in downtown Darien.

In an email to Patch, CEO Frank Carpenteri Jr. said he and his team were thrilled to bring the chain's beloved nuggets to Darien.

"Darien is an ideal town for Garden Catering," Carpenteri said, "as the community is extremely supportive of small businesses and filled with families, who happen to be our best customers."

He also noted many Darien residents already know and love Garden Catering through their neighboring locations in Stamford, Norwalk and Greenwich.

According to a news release, the new location will be located in The Corbin District, which sits between Whole Foods Market and Darien's Metro North Train Station.

Construction on The Corbin District began in October. When completed, it will include 116 apartments, 100,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and fitness studio space and 85,000 square feet of Class A office space.

The new development is led by a partnership between co-developers and Darien residents David Genovese of Baywater Properties and Penny Glassmeyer of PG Properties.

According to Carpenteri, the new Garden Catering location is expected to open in the spring of 2024.

"This is part of a major development spanning seven acres and including dozens of retailers," Carpenteri said. "While we wish we were able to open sooner, we hope everyone agrees it will be worth the wait."

Though Garden Catering has wanted to open a location in Darien for years, Carpenteri said the central location, as well as the caliber of co-tenants and the passion of Genovese and Glassmeyer, are what sold him on The Corbin District.

While Darien customers will be able to enjoy all their favorite menu items at the new restaurant, including nuggets, milkshakes and all-day breakfast sandwiches, Carpenteri noted there will be some new elements included in the space.

"With each new location," Carpenteri said, "we are always looking to improve the customer and employee experience...we are working with our design team to improve our layout and design so that we can do exactly that. We are also really looking forward to all the community events, green space and parking that The Corbin District will provide, not only for Garden Catering customers, but for anyone visiting the area."

Patch has reached out to the Darien Chamber of Commerce for more information.