WASHINGTON —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
Chosen by readers of Nation’s Restaurant News, producer of the MUFSO event, Pickens was presented with the honor by NRN publisher Tom Larranaga at the conclusion of a gala awards banquet that capped the three-day conference at the Gaylord National Resort this month. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
“I’m thrilled by this award, and I’m more thrilled to be joined by a group of people who hold true to our purpose—‘hospitaliano’—with passion, with excellence,” Pickens said in accepting the honor. Such a recognition “takes great people who really care about what they do.” —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
Pickens was singled out for the honor from among the six chain leaders who were selected by NRN’s editors as this year’s recipients of the Golden Chain award. In addition to Pickens, those honorees were Jerry Deitchle, chairman and chief executive of BJ’s Restaurants Inc.; James A. Flynn, chief executive of Wingstop Restaurants Inc.; Kenneth L. Pendery Jr., president and chief executive of First Watch Restaurants; Andrew Puzder, president and chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc.; and Joseph V. Tortorice Jr., founder and president of Jason’s Deli. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
During the banquet, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell was presented with NRN’s 2008 Pioneer Award, a recognition previously bestowed on such industry visionaries as Harland Sanders, Ray Kroc, Dave Thomas and Carl Karcher. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
Bell, 85, whose mobility and voice have been severely hampered by Parkinson’s disease, waved to the MUFSO banquet audience from his wheelchair amid a standing ovation that recognized his pioneering role in fostering the Mexican fast-food industry. Accompanying him on stage was his wife, Marty, also in a wheelchair, and their two adult children. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
“Glen is truly a pioneer,” said Taco Bell president Greg Creed, who spoke on Bell’s behalf. “He’s had real challenges in life and in business, but he’s always persevered, and he’s done so with integrity and humility, and fortunately for all of us, his efforts paid off.” —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
The concepts of collaboration and shared success were common threads in remarks by Golden Chain winners as they accepted their awards. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
“One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that a CEO can individually and single-handedly screw up a company big time,” said Flynn of Wingstop. “I’ve also found that a CEO cannot single-handedly make a company successful.” —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
In accepting his award, Pickens singled out the teams he leads in operating some 653 Olive Garden restaurants. The chain, a holding of Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants Inc., has generated 55 consecutive quarters of same-store sales increases, with annual sales topping $3.1 billion. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
“We all know this is a very challenging business and it’s been a difficult year in the economy, Pickens said later. “But great people always persevere. I couldn’t be more proud of our people. It’s for them. Without them, I really can’t do much.” —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
Pickens acknowledged that, with the award, he had joined a special fraternity of Olive Garden and Darden executives who’d been named Operator of the Year previously: Joe Lee in 1989, when Olive Garden and Red Lobster were a part of General Mills’ restaurant division, then Ron Magruder, president of Olive Garden in 1991, and Bradley Blum, president of the chain in 2000. In 2005, Lee, then chairman of Darden Restaurants, received the Pioneer Award. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
“I hope the general managers who are here tonight may have this opportunity some day, or any of those 80,000 who give their heart and soul for Olive Garden each and every day,” Pickens said. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
Pickens joined Darden in 1973 as a line cook at a Red Lobster in Nashville, Tenn. Back then, Pickens’ motivation was to earn enough money to buy “gas for Friday nights,” but he soon aspired to move up in the company, he recounted. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
He advanced from manager trainee to regional operations manager, then became director of operations and division senior vice president at Red Lobster before moving to Olive Garden in 1995 as senior vice president of operations for the Orlando division. He was promoted to executive vice president of operations in 1999 and named president in 2004. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
His own career advancement from hourly worker to president demonstrates how a person can excel in the restaurant industry, Pickens said. —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.
“This is an industry where your dreams can come true,” he told the MUFSO audience. “Clearly, it’s been a challenging operating environment, but we are privileged to be a part of a great industry, one that creates a lifetime of meaningful experiences for people, whether people dining in our restaurants or people working in our restaurants.” —Named Operator of the Year at the finale of the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference here, Olive Garden president David Pickens credited the honor to his 80,000 employees, including seven top-performing general managers who witnessed his acceptance of the accolade.