Eddie V's in Fort Worth's Museum Place being sold to Darden Restaurants

The founders of Eddie V’s Prime Seafood and Wildfish Seafood Grille are selling their restaurants to the Orlando-based Darden Restaurant chain for $59 million, the restaurants announced.

The sale includes eight Eddie V’s and three Wildfish restaurants, all in Arizona, California and Texas. It does not include its four Roaring Fork restaurants. Eddie V’s opened a location in late 2008 in Museum Place in Fort Worth, off West Seventh Street and University Drive

The sale is expected to close by the end of the year. The restaurants will be a part of Darden’s specialty restaurant group. Eddie V’s was started by Guy Villavaso and Larry Foles in 2000.

"This is an opportunity we could not pass up," Foles said in a statement. "In a highly competitive industry, we found that one of the most successful restaurant companies in the world wanted to grow Eddie V’s and Wildfish restaurants to their fullest potential."

Eddie V’s President Jim VanDercook and Executive Chef/Partner John Carver will lead day-to-day operations under the new agreement along with individual restaurant managers and chefs from the Eddie V’s and Wildfish restaurants, according to the statement. Foles and Villavaso will serve as consultants for two years.

Management at the Fort Worth location is not expected to change, the statement said.

Darden’s Specialty Restaurant Group operates The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. Darden is planning a Capital Grille in the Oncor Building, downtown at Seventh and Main streets. Darden also operates Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse.

_ Sandra Baker