A decade ago, assuming Chinese restaurant chains would become as popular as Italian and steakhouse chains are today, Darden Restaurants thought it would hit the jackpot with its China Coast chain.

Alas, Darden Restaurants was 10 years too early. China Coast, the first mass-scale Chinese chain in America, folded by the mid-1990s. Since then, Darden has watched as Chinese cuisine became more mainstream nationwide and other chains launched their own Chinese concepts, such as Outback Steakhouse Inc.'s Paul Lee's Chinese Kitchen.

Orlando,