Type: Public
On the web: http://www.dardenrestaurants.com
Employees: 178,500
Employee growth: 2.6%

This company has cornered not one but two dining markets: seafood and "Hospitaliano." Darden Restaurants is the #1 casual-dining operator (in terms of revenue), with about 1,825 restaurants in the US and Canada. Its flagship chains include seafood-segment leader Red Lobster and top Italian-themed concept Olive Garden. Both chains cater to families by offering mid-priced menu items, themed interiors, and primarily suburban locations. Darden also operates the LongHorn Steakhouse chain, with about 330 outlets. Other dining concepts include The Capital Grille (upscale steakhouse), Bahama Breeze (Caribbean food and drinks), and Seasons 52 (casual grill and wine bar).

Key numbers for fiscal year ending May, 2011:
Sales: $7,500.2M
One year growth: 5.4%
Net income: $476.3M
Income growth: 17.8%

Officers:
Chairman and CEO: Clarence Otis Jr.
President, COO, and Director: Andrew H. (Drew) Madsen
VP Consumer Insights: Glad Markunas

Competitors:
DineEquity
Landry's
OSI Restaurant Partners

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