A new shopping center that’s currently in the works in the Coastal Bend is about to get two major restaurant brands.
The Nemec Towne Center, located on Corpus Christi’s northwest side, will soon get an Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, according to new filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which are subject to change. The two Darden Restaurants-owned eateries will be the first of their kind in the suburb of Calallen.
The restaurants will soon become part of phase 2 of construction of the Nemec Towne Center, located at 3601 IH 69 Service Road, Corpus Christi, TX 76410, TDLR records show. The Olive Garden will span just over 7,800 square feet, while the Longhorn Steakhouse will be slightly smaller at about 5,800 square feet. Construction of the steakhouse will begin first in late May, with crews beginning work on the Olive Garden starting in June, according to TDLR. Construction is expected to wrap up in December 2026 and February 2027, respectively.
Together, the restaurants represent more than $6.24 million in investment at the shopping center where work is also progressing on Calallen’s first-ever Academy Sports + Outdoors store, which is itself being built at a cost of $7 million. The retail plaza is ideally located along the southbound frontage road of Interstate 69-E, just south of the interchange with Interstate 37. The 23-acre property lies just south of a Walmart Supercenter and Calallen High School and immediately north of a Hobby Lobby craft store.