Falon Farrell

President, The Capital Grille & Eddie V's

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Falon Farrell was named President of The Capital Grille and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in May 2024. She leads two brands that are part of Darden Restaurants’ Specialty Restaurant Group (SRG) and generate more than $800 million in annual sales.

Falon started her career with Darden in 2006 as a server at The Capital Grille, and worked in various positions, including management, leading up to her promotion to Manager of Training and Development for The Capital Grille in 2013. She began leading training for Eddie V’s in 2014 before being promoted to Director of Operations for Eddie V’s in 2016 and Senior Vice President of Operations in 2018.

Falon is a restaurant industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Intercultural and Organizational Communication and Sociology from Florida Atlantic University.

Mark Cooper

President, Bahama Breeze & Seasons 52

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Mark Cooper was named President of Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 in May 2024. He leads the two brands that are part of Darden Restaurants’ Specialty Restaurant Group (SRG) and generate more than $500 million in annual sales. Additionally, Mark has responsibility for Finance for the SRG.

Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Finance for the SRG, where he was responsible for protecting the business model and long-term financial vibrancy for The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Yard House.

Mark started his Darden career in 1997 as a member of the Investor Relations and New Business team. Since then, he has held a number of positions with increasing responsibility and has led multiple enterprise-wide initiatives including the establishment of the Darden Business Analytics function. Before leading finance for the SRG, Mark served as Senior Vice President, Finance for Olive Garden.

Mark received a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Florida State University.

Jennifer Pierce

Senior Vice President, Human Resources, LongHorn Steakhouse

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Jennifer Pierce is Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Longhorn Steakhouse and an officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. Jennifer oversees staffing, training and development, employee relations, succession planning, diversity, performance and rewards management, and HR strategic planning for a company with more than 550 restaurants, 35,000 employees and $2.5 billion in annual sales.

Known for its passion for grilling fresh, tender, juicy steaks – including the signature Flo’s Filet and the Outlaw Ribeye – LongHorn welcomes guests with a warm, inviting, friendly atmosphere reminiscent of the American West.

Jennifer has been a leader in Human Resources at Darden for more than 10 years, supporting Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and, most recently, serving as Vice President of Human Resources for Yard House. Prior to her tenure at Darden, Jennifer was a Director of Operations for Ruby Tuesday.

Jennifer holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Development from Villanova University. She graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Administration from Florida State University – College of Business.

Terrence Tookes

Executive Chef, Olive Garden

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Terrence Tookes was named Executive Chef for Olive Garden in April 2023. In this role, he oversees the research, development and evolution of Olive Garden’s core and promotional menu items, leading a team of professional chefs to create abundant, craveable Italian food for a brand with more than 900 restaurants, 100,000 team members and more than $4.5 billion in annual sales.

Chef Tookes began his career at Darden in 2008 as a Culinary Manager for Olive Garden before eventually being promoted to General Manager. In 2015, he became an Executive Chef for Olive Garden.

Prior to joining Darden, Chef Tookes served in the United States Marine Corps and attained the rank of Sergeant. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Arts Institute of Atlanta in Food & Beverage Management, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Johnson and Wales College in Culinary Arts Management.

Chef Tookes obtained his certification as a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) from the American Culinary Federation. He is an active member of the local chapter, where he serves as Treasurer with the organization.

John Madonna

Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller

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John Madonna was named Corporate Controller in January 2016. He is responsible for managing Darden’s accounting functions, including financial reporting, corporate tax, corporate accounting and operations information accounting.

John is an experienced accounting and finance leader who began his career with Darden in 2005 as Manager, Corporate Reporting. He joined the LongHorn team in 2009 as Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis before holding a series of roles with increasing responsibility within Darden’s Corporate Reporting function. He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Corporate Reporting and Accounting. Before joining Darden, John began his career with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young’s audit practices.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mike Wilson

Senior Vice President, Finance, LongHorn Steakhouse

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Mike Wilson is Senior Vice President of Finance for LongHorn Steakhouse and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. He is responsible for overall financial planning and analysis, operations analysis and control, and capital development review for a company with more than 550 restaurants, 35,000 team members and $2.5 billion in annual sales.

Mike joined Darden in 2010 as a Senior Internal Auditor after working multiple years for Deloitte. During his time at Darden, he has held multiple positions of increasing responsibility in Brand and Enterprise Finance. His Brand finance experience includes roles supporting Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Yard House, LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden. Mike has also served multiple years in Enterprise Finance working on M&A, divestiture, corporate restructuring and long-term strategic planning. Most recently, Mike served as Vice President of Finance for Olive Garden.

Mike graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Finance & Accounting. He also holds an MBA from the University of Central Florida and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Laurie Casler

Vice President, Brand Operations, Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze

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Laurie Casler is Vice President, Brand Operations for Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze. In this role, Laurie is responsible for the operation of more than 80 restaurants, leading the Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze teams in delivering exceptional guest experiences and achieving business results.

Laurie has been with Darden for 18 years, first joining as a Sales Manager with The Capital Grille in Providence, R.I. The following year, she transitioned to the brand’s training team, holding a progression of roles including Manager and Director, and eventually moved to oversee all learning and development for Darden’s Specialty Restaurant Group. In 2014, she returned to her roots in Operations with Seasons 52.

Laurie is a Rhode Island native. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts from Newbury College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Rollins College.

Matthew Gallagher

Executive Chef, Yard House

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Matthew Gallagher is Vice President, Corporate Executive Chef at Yard House. He leads all culinary efforts in the research, development and ongoing evolution of the brand's restaurants.

Chef Gallagher joined Darden in 2010 as Executive Chef for The Capital Grille, responsible for culinary training at existing and new restaurants. He was promoted to Director of Culinary Deployment and Operations, managing all aspects of menu deployment — including menu production, nutrition, allergen, menu analysis and operations excellence — for six Darden brands. Most recently, he served for five years as Vice President and Executive Chef for Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze, where he led the culinary programs with a focus on simplifying operations while creating fresh and flavorful dishes.

Prior to Darden, Chef Gallagher worked in locally inspired independent restaurants in New England. He also staged in Michelin and AA rated hotels and restaurants in England and Germany.

Chef Gallagher earned his Culinary and MBA degrees from Johnson & Wales University.

Melinda Anderson

Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

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Melinda Anderson is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. In this role, she leads teams responsible for training, development, staffing and employee relations. Melinda also played a crucial role in the integration of Cheddar’s into Darden along with multiple franchise acquisitions over the last several years.

Melinda began her Darden career in 1994 as an hourly team member at Olive Garden and later moved into a restaurant manager role where she developed her passion for human resources. Melinda is a human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience who has led teams in many areas of the HR function at several brands including Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

Melinda has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Rollins College.

Michael LaDuke

Executive Chef, Eddie V's & The Capital Grille

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Michael LaDuke is Vice President, Corporate Executive Chef at Eddie V's and The Capital Grille. He oversees the overall menu development and other culinary operations for the brands' restaurants that are renowned for serving fresh seafood, luxury steaks and indulgent experiences.

Chef LaDuke is a 30-year veteran of the food industry with key roles at Disney’s restaurant entities.

He has had multiple national television appearances, including hosting “The Next Food Network Star” with Bobby Flay and Michael Symon, as well as judging Chef Morimoto on “Iron Chef America.”

Chef LaDuke was recognized as Central Florida “Chef of the Year” by Restaurant Forum magazine for his menu improvements to the Brown Derby Restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and was named to the “Premier Chefs of America” list in 1996.

A native New Yorker, Chef LaDuke holds an associate’s degree in Professional Chef Studies from the State University of New York.