June same-store sales up at Red Lobster, Olive Garden

Jul 09, 2007

ORLANDO Fla. Darden Restaurants Inc. said same-store sales rose between 6 percent and 7 percent at its Red Lobster chain and 3 percent and 4 percent at its Olive Garden concept for the company’s first reporting period of fiscal 2008, or the five...

Restaurants look to play their gift cards right

Apr 24, 2007

Restaurant companies nationwide are examining their gift card programs in the wake of the Federal Trade Commission’s pending settlement with Darden Restaurants Inc., revealed this month, over its allegedly improper disclosures of ...

Restaurants look to play their gift cards right

Apr 16, 2007

Restaurant companies nationwide are examining their gift card programs in the wake of the Federal Trade Commission’s pending settlement with Darden Restaurant Inc., revealed this month, over its allegedly improper disclosures of ...

Casual-dining slowdown continues into March

Apr 05, 2007

NATIONAL REPORT The negative sales trends many restaurant companies reported in February have continued into March - not only because of winter weather, but also because of weaker consumer confidence, analysts said - and have led to first-quarter...

Darden settles gift-card dispute with FTC

Apr 03, 2007

WASHINGTON Federal regulators and Darden Restaurants Inc. of Orlando, Fla., reached agreement Tuesday on restoring inactivity fees deducted from unused gift cards for the company’s Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze and Smokey Bones...

Casual dinnerhouse outlook remains gloomy for 2007

Jan 15, 2007

Shortly before the end of 2006, a Houlihan’s restaurant in the Convention Center District of Austin, Texas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and shuttered its doors after just six months in operation.The reasons, according to bankruptcy...