Any one of those jobs can lead to a career with Darden. Dave Pickens, the president of Olive Garden, is just one example. He started as a line cook at Red Lobster and rose to the top over 30 years. And that’s not unusual at Darden. In fact, we hire 99 percent of our restaurant general managers from within our own ranks, and we can point to any number of leaders within our company who started out just like Dave.
Creating a people-focused culture makes a noticeable difference in how we treat our guests. Their letters say it best. Many thank individual servers, like the Red Lobster waiter who gave back the $100 tip from one couple who thought they had given him $10. “I’m a very good server, but I don’t deserve $100,” he told them. Others thank thoughtful managers, such as those at The Capital Grille who phone guests the day after their visit to make sure their experience was enjoyable.
Stories like these reflect the culture that our founders instilled. We like to describe it as a culture of nice built on a bedrock of discipline. We reward acts of service, accountability and quiet hard work. At the same time we encourage everyone to be outspoken on maintaining standards, on sustainability and on diversity. The key is an uncompromising focus on doing what is right.
