AT DARDEN RESTAURANTS WE HAVE AN ESTABLISHED STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK THAT GUIDES US ON OUR JOURNEY FROM “GETTING BETTER” TO BECOMING THE BEST, SUPPORTED BY OUR CORE VALUES OF INTEGRITY AND FAIRNESS, RESPECT AND CARING, DIVERSITY, ALWAYS LEARNING/ALWAYS TEACHING, BEING OF SERVICE, TEAMWORK AND EXCELLENCE. AT THE CORE OF THIS FRAMEWORK ARE THREE STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES, OR WHAT WE CALL STRATEGIC “BUILDING BLOCKS”:

This is the essential building block. To make our strategic vision a reality, we must have leaders throughout the Company who inspire in their teams a great passion and enthusiasm for people, restaurants and dining.

We are committed not only to continually improving and innovating in this critically important part of our business, but also to redefining culinary and beverage excellence in casual dining.
(In this year’s Annual Report we’ll focus on our Culinary and Beverage Excellence strategic imperative.)

The restaurant business is a people business, and we intend to establish and achieve the industry’s very highest service and hospitality standards, as defined by our guests.

SUPPORTING OUR STRATEGIC BUILDING BLOCKS ARE TWO KEY ENABLERS:

We will create an environment that welcomes diversity, understands its implications and translates that understanding into appropriate systematic practices at every level of the organization.

Technology offers tremendous opportunities to directly benefit our guests, employees and suppliers. We want leaders who know how to develop and take full advantage of those opportunities.