Olive Garden Owner Darden Asks for Tax Clarity on Food Donations

Darden Restaurants Inc.—owner of the Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and other chains—wants the IRS to issue guidance that would allow an enhanced deduction for certain charitable food donations.

The company, in a letter released Monday, recommended that the IRS prioritize regulations under tax code Section 170(e)(3) concerning charitable contributions of inventory benefiting the ill, needy, or infants. It asked for the issue to be placed on the Treasury Department’s 2022-2023 Priority Guidance Plan—a regularly updated list identifying projects that are most important to taxpayers and tax administration.

• Angela Simmons, Darden’s senior vice president for corporate tax, wrote ...