Obamacare prompts part-time labor test at Olive Garden, Capital Grille and other restaurants

In a handful of restaurants in four markets, chain operator Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) has stopped offering full-time schedules to some hourly employees – an experiment designed to test ways to minimize the bottom-line impact of the "Obamacare" health care reform.

The Affordable Care Act by 2014 will require large companies to provide affordable health insurance to employees working 30 hours a week or more. The Orlando Sentinel reported Darden Restaurants is one of several companies considering cutting back on full-time employment as a result of the law.