Darden.com operates a number of restaurant chains in the United States

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Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc. is a multi-brand restaurant operator owning several casual dining chain store brands. The company is the largest restaurant operators in the world. The company owns and offers its services through Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill, and Seasons 52 restaurant concepts located in the United States and Canada, the total number of outlets numbering more than 1,450 (2006). The five principal trademarks of the company are Darden Restaurants, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones. The restaurant chain of the company includes 651 Red Lobster, 611 Olive Garden, 32 Bahama Breeze, 126 Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill and five Seasons 52 restaurants. Darden does not franchise any of its restaurants or brands. However, most of its international outlets are not under the corporate control. In 2006, the company licensed 42 Red Lobster restaurants to an unaffiliated Japanese company.

History

Red Lobster was founded in 1968 by Bill Darden and Joe Lee when Bill Darden was just 19-years old. The first restaurant was opened in Waycross, Georgia, which was a 25-foot-by-30-foot luncheonette. The outlet was named The Green Frog featuring Service With a Hop. This was followed by several restaurants added to the chain throughout the Southeast. Red Lobster was acquired by General Mills in 1970 and was expanded nationwide. In 1995, the chain was spun off by General Mills. In 1995, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones BBQ and Grill, and Bahama Breeze became part of Darden Restaurants. In addition, Seasons 52 was added to the list of restaurants owned by Darden. In May 2007, Darden closed down 54 Smokey Bones Restaurants and put up the remaining 73 stores for sale in a way to better its position in achieving market leadership in the future casual dining industry.

Products & Services

The brands of Darden Restaurants are Darden Restaurants, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones. There are more than 651 Red Lobster locations throughout the United States apart from a small number in Japan. Red Lobster specializes in seafood apart from its specialty Cheddar Bay Biscuits accompanying a purchased entree. Olive Garden specializes in faux Italian food, addressing itself as a traditional family restaurant with Old World-inspired dishes with 611 outlets across the U.S. A number of 32 Bahama Breeze outlets specialize in Caribbean-inspired fresh seafood, chicken and steaks, and tropical drinks. Most outlets of this chain are located in suburban retail districts and in tourist areas. Smokey Breeze is the newest chain of the Darden Restaurants spread across various locations of the Eastern United States with 126 outlets. The traditional slow-smoked menu of this chain consists of burgers, chicken and BBQ Baby Back and St. Louis Ribs, as well as a line of salads, other non-barbeque entrees, French fries, and desserts.

Company Profile

With respect to market share, sales and number of company-owned and operated restaurants, Darden Restaurants, Inc. is the largest casual dining restaurant company in the world. The company offers over 1,450 outlets under the names of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones Barbeque apart from 52 outlets of Grill & Seasons in North America. The firm has given employment to more than 150,000 people in its various outlets. Darden has the credit of serving more than 300 million meals in a typical year. All the restaurants operated by Darden are owned by the company and Darden does not offer any franchise opportunities domestically. In the year 1995, the company was listed in New York Stock exchange with a ticker symbol DRI. Darden was founded in 1968 with its headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Annual revenue of the company is over US $5.72 billion with a net income of US $338.2 million (2006).

Official Website

Darden.com. The site gives a broad overview of the services offered by Darden, the description of its mission and values. To know more about the corporate profile, company history, and market research study reports, the other sites listed under references and additional readings can be consulted.