Blog #6

Darden has stocks at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker stock symbol DRI. This is the primary source of investor relations. Darden has been a publicly traded company since 1995 as a result of a spin-off from General Mills. Darden currently pays a dividend. Darden’s fiscal year ends the last Sunday in May.

Strategies that Darden doesn’t participate in and I think they should are franchising. Franchising is the practice of using another firm’s successful business model. A franchise is considered a distribution system, with the trademark of the franchise system covered by specific covenants.

Franchises are best used in businesses that have a good track record of profitability, easily duplicated, detailed systems, processes and procedures, around a unique or unusual or unusual concept, broad geographic appeal, relatively easy to operate, and relatively inexpensive to operate.

If Darden Restaurants had a franchise opportunity I think it would work in their favor.  Franchises are a great way to expand the Darden brand in a way where investors can be a part of a successful brand without buying into a company. Franchises can be obtained by any person with their finances in order of course, that wants to own their own business, and have some creative freedom.

The most important strategy during a crisis is constant communication. Constant communication is key to surviving a crisis situation. If there is no communication, there is no conveying of meaningful information.

Blog #5

Darden Restaurants has done it again, and has failed its successful communication and marketing efforts by not having a blog. I searched the website and the internet looking for some type of forum where Darden is specifically discussed, no luck.

Although Darden Restaurants don’t utilize blogs, they have a unique internal communications amongst their employees. I’m able to write about this, because I work at Longhorn, and I use it. It’s called My Dish, and it’s a forum where employees log in and we get to access our schedules, time-off requests, viewing past paychecks, and much more. Unfortunately, it’s not really considered social media, because there is no blogging, and the form of communication used on My Dish is through e-mail.

Again, Darden not having a blog, for consumers and for employees, is not a very tactical idea. If there was a blog for consumers, created by Darden, it would help the company so much. Consumers could use the blog as an outlet to discuss the products and say what’s on their mind. This way, it goes directly to Darden and they get their feedback instantly. Also, there should be a blog on My Dish for employees. This also opens the communication freedom internally within the company. All companies should care what their employees think, and if they are working in a happy, pleasant, and fair work environment.

There is no celebrity spokesperson for any of the Darden Restaurants. If I had to choose a celebrity spokesperson for Darden Restaurants it would probably be Rachael Ray. Rachael Ray is a celebrity chef. She is known for her 30 minute meals and all around fun personality, and of course delicious food! Picking a famous celebrity chef as the spokesperson would be a great idea because Rachael Ray is highly recognized as a top chef, and the consumers would recognize this. When they recognize that Rachael Ray is associated with the Darden Restaurants brand, it’ll first build a trust, and a mentality that if Rachael loves the food at Darden, it must be great. Rachael Ray could star in commercials for Darden Restaurants, and boast about the deliciousness of the foods.  More specifically, if I had to choose a spokesperson for Longhorn Steakhouse, I’d go with Carrie Underwood. Carrie Underwood is a very popular country singer who won American Idol. She is well respected and credible, and has a very sweet and kind image. She is an idol to both males and females. Using Carrie as a spokesperson for Longhorn Steakhouse would be very smart because she is seen as that perfect southern lady. She knows all about Western hospitality. They can also use her in commercials, maybe with a song of hers playing.

Blog Post #4

Darden Restaurants uses various different forms of traditional media. The most recent I noticed was the use of commercials. Back when Longhorn Steakhouse was owned by Rare Hospitality, they had no television commercials and honestly I felt like that hurt the business. Especially since Longhorn Steakhouse is national, I felt as though it was relevant to reach a larger audience. Ever since Darden took over, there have been lots of television commercials. I think Darden used this as a traditional media strategy. Television commercials are best for proper marketing.

Darden uses new media too. The website for Darden has all kinds of information. The website’s new media strategy is to inform consumers about Darden Restaurants. But, a new media strategy that Darden uses that doesn’t just inform, is social networking. Social networking is used for marketing as well and using statuses for updates that may be of interest of those following/friends with Darden Restaurants.

The branding details are incorporated into their media strategies because they use the branding is part of Darden Restaurants. For example, during the Longhorn Steakhouse commercial, the end part of the commercial is the slogan ‘Bring out a little West in you.’ This slogan is strategically placed there to remind the consumers that Longhorn Steakhouse is a Western theme restaurant.

I think does and doesn’t the media strategies go hand and hand with the organization. Darden Restaurants has been around for awhile now and should be constantly working to keep up with the changing technology world. So in this way, I find that Darden’s new media strategies don’t keep up with the personality of the company. Darden is seen as new, unique, and worldy. Being more current on media strategies would help the organization a lot and really bring Darden up to speed with they are really about, connecting with different and eclectic appetites in a new, current and exciting way. Then again, Darden is sometimes seen as ‘classic’ in a sense that it is casual dining in an old school way. Old school meaning professional service and great tasting food are the classic staples of a successful restaurant.

There are many media strategies that need improvement. Like I said in my previous blog, Darden Restaurants doesn’t utilize social networking when it really should be utilized because social networking is the key to new marketing strategies. Twitter seems like it was designed just for this purpose, yet Darden hardly ever tweets. They need to bring a social media expert on board to help them. Even with placing ads on the internet, I never see any from Darden about products and promotions. Darden does, however, use old media to do it promotions. You can sign up for newsletters and special promotions. For example, they have a promotion where when you sign up for their newsletter you can receive a free appetizer card. This is a way of using old media (email) as a media strategy. Now, they do have a website, and that is still considered new media strategies, but they should utilize the way they advertise on the internet a little better.

Blog #3

Darden Restaurants definitely utilizes social networking. Darden has a Facebook account, a Twitter account, and a LinkedIn account. Social networking is super important because it gets out a message from the brand and can be used as a strong marketing tool.

I’ve searched the internet and the Darden website and I can’t seem to find a microblog or blog for them. Darden does not utilize blogs, which I feel like is a poor decision on their public relations department. I think a blog would really be beneficial to the consumers because they can talk among themselves and discuss issues related to Darden.

Because Darden has the three main social networking accounts, it makes it easier for them to photo and video share. Yet, they don’t do it. The whole purpose of these websites are to exercise a sense of community among its members. Yet, in my opinion, their communications and public relations departments are lacking.

I believe that by Darden’s lack of social networking tools, this creates a sense of distance between Darden and its consumers. Social networking was created to keep people more informed and more in touch with others. If this tool is not used this creates a lack of communication and a form of distance between consumer and brand.

Blog Post #2

Darden Restaurants is unique because it is not just a series of chain restaurants but a series of chain restaurants that all have their own unique food and atmosphere. Like I was explaining in the previous blog post, Darden has themed restaurants that incorporate food and atmosphere. Bahama Breeze is Caribbean style food in a Caribbean tropical style setting. Red Lobster is a seafood restaurant in a somewhat ocean like setting. Olive Garden is Italian food in an Italian themed restaurant. Longhorn Steakhouse is a Western themed steakhouse in a Western hospitality setting. Upon entering each of these restaurants, the atmosphere gives you a sense of what the overall theme and what the goal of the establishment is. This is done on purpose probably partly due to Darden’s marketing professionals so you can get an overall sense of what your visit at the particular restaurant will be like.

The authenticity of Darden Restaurants is purely genuine. The product that is supplied is not only the dining experience, but the actual product that is created, the food. When I watch Darden Restaurants commercials, I often hear the same phrase, “Authentic food.” Darden is trying to relay the message that their recipes are created from professional chefs and all ideas are original and of course authentic. This is how they sustain their originality and how they have become the world’s largest chain restaurants. Consumers hear authenticity and the flock to it. When something is authentic, it is real, made from real ingredients, and that shows the seriousness of Darden about the way they make and present their product.

There are many branding details that contribute to the success of Darden Restaurants. Every detail counts. The name Darden has come from the man who started it all, Bill Darden. He opened the first Red Lobster in Florida, and expanded the brand at its success. The name Darden has now become a household name in restaurant hospitality, and is well respected. The logo of Darden is just a simple font with all capital letters. Nothing too fancy, and nothing too eccentric. I believe this was done intentionally to prove that Darden Restaurants does not need flash in order to be taken seriously and that Darden is just simple fresh restaurant dining. The slogan/motto for Darden is “the largest casual dining restaurant company in the world.” This slogan was created to let consumers know Darden’s status and ranking among the competition. The symbolism of Darden Restaurants is really interesting to me. When looking at the symbols used for each restaurant, its obvious that these are themed restaurants, and Darden really wanted the consumer to know this. Longhorn has the bull horn or the “longhorns,” Red Lobster as the lobster, Olive Garden has the wine grapes, and Bahama Breeze has the palm tree. All obvious symbolism that doesn’t take much thought.

The overall personality of Darden Restaurants is a fun friendly affordable casual restaurant. Darden concentrated on creating their restaurants for middle class people who can go out for a meal in an affordable and casual way. They centered on no hassle, drama free dining, and have succeeded.

Organization's Background

The company I've decided to focus on for this assignment is Darden Restaurants. I've worked on and off for years at Longhorn Steakhouse, which is owned by Darden Restaurants. Darden owns many other successful restaurant chains including Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Bahama Breeze. The company is very successful and makes the list of Forbes Best Companies to Work For.

I found this quote on Darden Restaurants website; “We're on a path to create what we believe is a truly great company; a vibrant organization that consistently produces competitively strong financial results and is a special place to work for employees.  Our vision is to be a company that positively affects meaningfully more guests, employees, communities and business partners – a company that matters even more than we do today.” This quote was from Clarence Otis Jr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. This is close to a mission statement for Darden. They also base their values on doing the right thing and providing a work environment for people looking to achieve their professional and personal goals. 

Bill Darden opened their first Red Lobster in Florida in 1968. It became a success and they opened three more in Florida. They lacked the resources to expand further so Darden sold the rights to General Mills which help expand the Darden concept. They then made Bill Darden President and opened the Darden Restaurants headquarters in Orlando, Florida. After the success of Red Lobster, Olive Garden was created in 1982, followed by Bahama Breeze in 1996. They also acquired Longhorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille from Rare Hospitality in 2007. 

Their products and services include franchise full service restaurants. Each restaurant has its own food genre. Red Lobster being seafood, Longhorn Steakhouse being western steakhouse, Bahama Breeze being Caribbean cuisine, and The Capitol Grille as the upscale steakhouse. Like I said, I work for Longhorn Steakhouse, and I know our products are always fresh and never frozen and that's what sets us apart from other restaurants, who more likely have frozen products. Also, at Longhorn Steakhouse, our managers emphasize quality service and anticipating guests needs. Service and food quality are extremely important and that is what keeps people coming back night after night.

I think the target audience for Darden Restaurants are middle class people and families. With the exception of The Capital Grille, all other Darden Restaurants are fairly priced and family friendly. Their goal is to serve fresh delicious meals at an affordable price. When it comes to The Capitol Grille, I think their trying to create an upscale environment to enjoy quality steak products. Their target market is more upper class.


All in all, I believe Darden Restaurants is a great company to work for. They are very fair and very successful, and really care about their employees. I'm glad to have picked this company for this blog project :)