Hankins rejoins Darden as culinary SVP for LongHornHankins rejoins Darden as culinary SVP for LongHorn

ORLANDO Fla. Kurt Hankins has rejoined Darden Restaurants Inc. as senior vice president of culinary for the company's 295-unit LongHorn Steakhouse chain.

Hankins was senior vice president of menu development and innovation for Applebee’s International Inc. until the company was sold to IHOP Corp. last November in a deal valued at $2.3 billion, including fees and Applebee's debt. Hankins was one of 11 executives who were let go after the deal closed. He had joined Applebee's in 2001 after heading menu development for Darden's Red Lobster chain, where he had worked for 11 years.

Darden purchased LongHorn’s parent, Rare Hospitality International Inc., last October for about $1.4 billion. Also part of the purchase was The Capital Grille, a 30-unit steakhouse chain.

Darden operates about 1,738 restaurants. Its other brands include Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.