As we work to build great brands, we also bring to the table strong brand-support expertise that reflects our significant scale – scale that is unmatched in the full-service restaurant industry. The resources that come with our scale enable us to invest in great people – people with superior expertise in a range of important support functions – and to invest in strong systems. As a result of these investments, we are able to support our brands more effectively and efficiently than many competitors. This is an especially important advantage as our industry is challenged to respond to current cost pressures related to increasing globalization and the changing public policy landscape in the U.S.
Darden is first and foremost a people business, and our nearly 180,000 employees are our greatest competitive edge. Because of that, many of our brand-support investments are in systems that enhance our ability to attract, retain and develop the best people. We also invest in driving and sustaining competitive superiority in our supply chain capabilities. With a $2.4 billion supply chain we have the size and scope to explore innovations and initiatives that will help us become more efficient and socially responsible in the way we harvest, process, ship and serve the high-quality, delicious food our guests expect. And, our scale and resources enable us to continue to make investments that others cannot in areas of our restaurant support infrastructure, including information technology and restaurant-level labor and food cost management processes.
