Clarence Otis Jr.
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Since opening our first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Fla., in 1968, Darden has grown to become the world’s largest full-service restaurant company. Through subsidiaries, own and operate 1,800 restaurants, employ approximately 180,000 people and serve more than 400 million meals a year.
That last number reveals something telling about how we do business. In serving that many meals, we’ve come to know our guests extremely well. From them, we’ve realized what it takes to create an environment of natural hospitality and to build enduring brands. It’s why we’re able to make our guests feel so welcome, special and at ease.
Along the way, we’ve come to understand the restaurant business as well as anyone – if not better. We recognize that scale enables continued growth. Our scale allows us to have the best systems in the industry. We use them not simply to automate our restaurants for greater consistency, accuracy and efficiency, but to give our people time to make the human touch an even larger part of dining with us.
At Darden, strong values are just as important as business acumen and operational skills, and we have a solid track record of doing what’s right. Our employees give us 180,000 reasons to create a great place to work and to teach enduring life-skills. For our employees, doing what’s right means building talent and providing them opportunities to achieve their personal and professional dreams. And outside the walls of our restaurants, it means serving our communities and doing our part to sustain the earth’s natural resources.
We have ambitious plans and we’re confident that even better days lie ahead for Darden, not only as an industry leader but as a leader in business overall.
