Olive Garden owner's CEO says fast food is so expensive you might as well have a sit-down meal

Two men sit at a restaurant booth chatting with food in front of them. (Credit: Getty Images)

Fast food is no longer cheap, and fast-casual chains are benefiting from it. Rick Cardenas, CEO of Darden Restaurants—which owns Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House—said during the company’s Thursday earnings call that consumers are seeing “a little bit of a shift” from fast food to its sit-down competitors due to the high cost of burgers and fries and inflation-weary customers.

“The consumer is really focused on what price they're paying [everywhere], not just in restaurants,” Cardenas said.