Olive Garden

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

Darden CEO Gene Lee said employees are the company’s greatest competitive advantage. 

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.

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

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories on the state of casual dining based on exclusive Market Force Information data. 

For the vast majority of restaurants, joining the third-party delivery bandwagon is a must to increase off-premises sales and capitalize on the convenience-crazed movement.

When strategic communications and advisory company ICR hosts its annual conference, it's a chance for full-service industry giants to gather and talk about the past year—and set goals for the one a ...