Bryan Clements

Executive Vice President, Operations, Olive Garden

Bryan Clements is Executive Vice President of Operations for Olive Garden and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. He is responsible for operations a company with more than 900 restaurants, 100,000 employees and more than $4.5 billion in annual sales. Bryan also leads Olive Garden’s Operations Excellence team in executing initiatives that support the brand’s business objectives.

Bryan has a strong ability to coach and develop others, inspiring passion to support business goals and achieve strong financial results. He leads a team of eight division Senior Vice Presidents of Operations and ensures that a variety of culinary, beverage, service, training and quality assurance initiatives are aligned with Olive Garden’s strategies at the restaurant level, all focused on making every guest and team member feel like family.

Bryan has worked for Olive Garden for nine years, most recently serving as Senior Vice President. He began his career with Darden as a Director of Operations for LongHorn Steakhouse in 2005 before joining Olive Garden as Regional Vice President in 2012.

Prior to joining Darden, Bryan spent five years as Director of Operations for Champs America. He graduated from University of Central Florida in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.

Chris Chang

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Chris Chang was named Chief Information Officer in April 2016. He oversees all information services and technology functions for Darden.

Previously, Chris served as Senior Vice President, Technology Strategy, Innovation and Planning where he was responsible for leading Darden’s overall technology strategic plan and for working closely with key business and IT leaders to build and leverage business capabilities to drive value creation. This included leading the development of Darden’s new Digital Platform designed to enable the Company to leverage data and insights more effectively.

Chris joined Darden from Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas where he served as Corporate Vice President, Innovation and Information Technology Strategy. There, he founded and led the innovation team that was focused on developing, piloting, and implementing new technologies and business solutions across 50 casino properties worldwide. He also led the company’s innovation portal efforts, where employees from across the company were encouraged to submit new ideas, vote on their favorites, and comment/collaborate to bring new ideas to life.

Prior to Caesars, Chris served as Vice President, Strategy and Product Management for Denver-based INFONOW Corporation, where he led the company’s overall strategy and business-process design efforts.

Chris holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Doug Milanes

Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer

Doug Milanes was named Chief Supply Chain Officer in May 2015. He is responsible for sourcing, distribution and quality assurance for all Darden concepts. Doug’s team of supply professionals manages over $2 billion in capital and food product expenditures and $1 billion in non-food expenditures on an annual basis. The supply team sources more than 26 million cases of product from 1,500 vendors in 10 countries around the world.

Most recently, Doug served as Senior Vice President, Purchasing, for Darden where he was responsible for Proteins, Beverages, and Food Commodities/Ingredients. He started Indirect Sourcing (non-food areas) in 2014, driving programs in categories such as Advertising, IT, and Restaurant Services.

Prior to Darden, Doug served as Vice President, Global Procurement and Operations for New York-based Pfizer, where he was responsible for strategic commercial sourcing and global procurement operations, leading a team of 450 associates in five countries with responsibility for over $11 billion in purchases. He also served as Chief Financial Officer for the company’s Capsugel Division. Before Pfizer, Doug was with Unilever and Kraft Foods.

Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA in Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Drew Minervino

Senior Vice President, Operations, Yard House

Drew Minervino was named Senior Vice President of Operations for Yard House in 2020. In this role, Drew is responsible for the operation of more than 85 restaurants, ensuring the Yard House team delivers exceptional guest experiences and achieves business results. He brings to his role an intense passion for guest hospitality. His people-first approach has been the cornerstone of helping grow the brand and create opportunities for its next leaders.

Throughout his 16 years with Yard House, Drew has held numerous leadership positions across the organization. He started with the brand in 2005 as a General Manager and was promoted to Director of Operations the following year. He joined the Darden family when it acquired Yard House in 2012 and was promoted to Regional Vice President of Operations in 2017.

Drew has more than 25 years’ experience in the restaurant industry. He began his career in 1996 with C.A. Muer Corporation. Prior to that, he worked in hotel management for five years. Drew grew up in South Florida and attended Palm Beach Community College.

Falon Farrell

President, The Capital Grille & Eddie V's

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

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

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

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

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.