J David H.

This review is for the company as a whole that is based in Orlando, FL. It is my belief that few customers know the diversity of the group headquartered in Orlando, FL. The Darden family of restaurants has some names that immediately pop out to anyone, that is unless you live under a rock. Eateries that I frequent such as Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Bahama Breeze and my all time favorite Capital Grille which I did not even know until tonight was managed by the Darden Group. However, the list goes on. Seasons 52 and Eddie V's which are two that I have never dined in. All, in all they operate over 1,500 restaurants across the U.S., employ over 150,000 and serve 320 million meals a year. Now those are some pretty impressive numbers in my book. When you put that much star power under one group you have a juggernaut of success. Yes, I have had issues with each one I have dined in. But I have had many more successful experiences than poor. What you usually will find are the restaurants under the Darden name are well managed, clean and have awesome quality food standards. This is not the end of the story, because what I have also found is that they listen to their customers more closely than you ever might have thought. If not at a local level, then believe me it's at a HQ/GM level big time. This is also done on a social media level too. They monitor what is being said about their restaurants like a hawk on all forums, not just Yelp. Two examples of current reviews that I have up from Darden that were given reviews that they responded to. One was given a 3, the other a 2. I received calls from the GM within weeks of posting the review. If they feel the problem was never resolved at a local level they resolve it over the phone to your satisfaction. If your like me you give gift cards out to friends and family. A recommendation that I have done in recent months is gift a Darden card. Then the receiver has the flexibility of using it with not just one restaurant, but several of their choosing. After a call from a Darden GM tonight I felt compelled to get a review out immediately. I am a fan and will continue to support the restaurants they own and operate.