Olive Garden Owner Darden Restaurants Warns on 3rd Quarter (Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse)

AOL Daily Finance / The Associated Press ^ | February 22, 2013

[2ndDivisionVet]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Darden Restaurants (DRI), struggling to draw more customers into its Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants, said Friday that its third-quarter profit could fall below Wall Street's expectations and cut its outlook for the year.

The Orlando, Fla.-based chain has tried to revamp menus and marketing for its flagship chains. But revenue at Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse locations open at least one year is expected to fall 4.5 percent in the quarter ending Feb. 24, indicating those efforts have yet to pay off...

[freedumb2003]

>>Maybe Obama will show up at a Red Lobster on Monday and relate this to the Sequester.<<

I’ll have the Sequester Thermidore...

[Marie Antoinette]

I never eat pasta at a restaurant, so I quit Olive Garden loooong ago. These days, we frequent local places that AREN’T chain restaurants. Try a restaurant off of the beaten path, you may find a real gem!

[Starboard]

The GOP had better wake up.
*********
Too late for that IMO. The GOP is a pathetic, spineless bunch of appeasers and not the answer to our national problems. They wouldn’t even have the House if not for the Tea Party, whom they promptly shoved aside upon gaining a majority. I’m done with the GOP.

[matt04]

I’ll 2nd Texas Roadhouse. They catered a work lunch one day and I became hooked.

[Tanniker Smith]

Last time the family was in Olive Garden, my daughter ordered her favorite dish. And as soon as she got it, she knew she'd love it -- because she loves it when my wife buys it from Costco. No, seriously, her $20 dinner was from the frozen foods section of Costco. OG thawed it out and heated it up.

Classic.

[ConservativeInPA]

Below average food, poor service and they are in bed with Moooshell’s menu augmentations. They won’t be seeing my business.

[Cribb]

Re: "I much prefer Texas Roadhouse. Great food,..."

... And even greater if you remove your hearing aid.

[omega4179]

Shouldn’t he worry about the first quarter??

[wally_bert]

The OGs and Longhorns around Columbia SC have always been very good

[Cicero]

We hardly ever eat out these days. Can’t afford it.

And if we did eat out, we’d go to a local restaurant, not a chain.

I would imagine that these days fewer and fewer people can afford it.

[mc5cents]

And according to Nancy Pelosi we need more people on unemployment to spur the economy.

[raybbr]

O’s economy is now even hurting the cheap, family type restaurants like Olive Garden. Not just the high end places. Next thing will be McD’s and BK.

Not to worry. Soon only Taco Bell will be open...

[erlayman]

Olive Garden has posted disappointing sales several quarters in a row now.

I guess nobody wants to wait 45 minutes to eat frozen, microwaved food at empty restaurants anymore.

[TalBlack]

One of the ridiculous gothic (NY thing)diners by me has a huge sign stretching across his parking lot which reads “all dinners half price”. People have cut their eating out-BIG TIME!

[LibsRJerks]

Well, around the N. Virginia area, you can’t get near any restaurants from Friday night on ....tables and tables of folks, big parties, long waiting lines. Nope — everything is really cooking around here.

We used to go out at least weekly ...now it’s an every three or four month occasion.

[relictele]

It’s doubtful you’re missing much given the prep methods in use. Microwaves, bain maries, steamers, etc. They’ve got the cheek to ladle things out of 5 gallon buckets or zap them in a microwave and charge a fortune for them.

Sysco does a roaring trade in foodservice product sales but it has homogenized the menus and the customers’ palates. Restaurant A’s appetizers are the same at Restaurant B and so forth.

Last but not least is the service as you mention. Too many chiefs and not enough braves. Today’s youth lack the personality, manners and education to carry on an adult conversation so everything is a canned spiel from the greeting to the order taking and beyond. Management would call it training and quality control; I call it false, obvious and insulting. If I have to eat a restaurant I try to sit and order/eat at the bar...the bartenders are usually older (21 so they can pour drinks) and never far away so refills and follow-up are prompt. Contrast this with a teenager waitress/waiter who disappears for long stretches. Ever drive round the back of an Outback or an Olive Garden? There you will find multitudes of front-of-house types taking yet another smoke break. Wonder if they bother washing their hands upon returning?

[relictele]

Yep - it’s the Sysco effect.

[freedumb2003]

You want some BIG A** FRIES with that?

[My Favorite Headache]

Olive Garden = Good

Red Lobster = Dread Lobster/Dead Lobster = Pure crap with the exception of cheese rolls.

Longhorn = OLD MEAT. Dirty. Nasty.

[Timber Rattler]

Yeah, the CEO was a big Obama supporter in 2008. I wonder if he still supports King Barry now?