Rock Hill lands 80 jobs in $9.4M project for restaurant food distribution site
A subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest restaurant companies plans to invest $9.4 million and create 80 jobs in Rock Hill.
GMRI Inc., a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, intends to set up distribution in the Karis Cold Storage facility at 3623 Lazy Hawk Road, consultant David Bell told York County Council on Monday.
The previously unnamed project was up for a $125,000 state grant, which York County approved as a pass-through agency. The project involves $1.5 million in building renovation and $7.9 million in machinery and equipment.
The refrigerated site for prepackaged foods could at some point add manufacturing, Bell said. The average hourly wage is expected to be $28.10 per hour.
The site is expected to be operational by October.
Darden Restaurants is the parent company of several well-known restaurants including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steak House, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and The Capital Grille. Darden owns more than 2,100 restaurants, according to its website.
Since starting three years ago, the cold storage site on Lazy Hawk Road in Rock Hill has drawn attention from several food companies. It’s where Charlotte-based distributor Hissho Sushi announced it would move to last year.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 2:46 PM.