Darden Restaurants

Over the summer, Brinker International, Bloomin’ Brands, and Dine Brands dipped into virtual waters.

Restaurateurs and industry experts have continually asked this question throughout the COVID-19 catastrophe: What disruptions will become permanent?

Darden announced Tuesday that dine-in traffic at flagship brands Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse has led to an improvement of more than 10 percentage points in same-store sales. ...

Darden Monday provided that latest update into its COVID-19-impacted business. For the fourth quarter through April 19, the company’s same-store sales declined 44.7 percent.

Darden has managed to keep 99 percent of its restaurants open during the COVID-19 crisis, but remarkable conditions have taken a heavy swipe at sales.

Some casual-dining brands are switching their operation model and increasing liquidity as they chart through several unknowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Darden CEO Gene Lee didn’t pretend it was business as usual.

Darden Restaurants, parent of Olive Garden, announced that it now provides paid sick leave to hourly employees amid growing concerns with the coronavirus.

There are two ways to look at any pain point, and that’s the case with Darden and labor.