Darden Restaurants is helping Feeding America® add refrigerated trucks for 10 member food banks to support mobile pantry programs and food distribution in communities with the highest need. Through a $2 million grant from the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation, and support from partners Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Logistics, each food bank will receive a 26-foot vehicle that can transport 12,000 pounds of food at a time and $26,000 to use for food and other needs.

Food banks receiving this gift include:

~ Community Food Bank of Central Alabama in Birmingham, Ala.
~ East Texas Food Bank in Tyler, Texas
~ Feeding the Gulf Coast in Theodore, Ala.
~ Feeding Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
~ Feeding Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla.
~ Food Bank of North Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.
~ Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana in Monroe, La.
~ Forgotten Harvest in Detroit, Mich.
~ Mississippi Food Network in Jackson, Miss.
~ Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Texas

“Feeding people is what we do, but the hard reality is that there are still too many families in communities we serve who struggle to put a meal on the table,” said Gene Lee, Chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants. “We’re uniquely positioned to help, and by leveraging our scale and relationships with partners like Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Logistics, we’re proud to do our part to help get food into the hands of people who need it.” 

The Need

Because of the pandemic, 60 million people sought support from food banks, food pantries, and other private food assistance programs in 2020 — an increase of 50% from 2019. Rates of food insecurity are higher among people of color. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, when compared to White individuals, Black individuals were 3.2 times more likely and Latino individuals were 2.5 times more likely to experience food insecurity in 2020.

In addition, the pandemic has created challenges for charitable food distribution. Feeding America helped identify food banks serving communities of color with disproportionately high levels of food insecurity to receive a truck to help increase their mobile food pantry capacity.

“Millions of families continue to face impossible decisions — like choosing to put food on the table or pay their rent,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. “Food banks are focused on improving people’s access to food, particularly in communities of color where people are inordinately impacted by food insecurity. Refrigerated trucks help make that possible. We are grateful to Darden, Penske and Lineage for providing vehicles to member food banks, helping them to distribute more food safely to people who need us most.”

Responding to the Need

Darden and the Darden Foundation have been partners with Feeding America for more than 10 years. This donation marks the latest effort in Darden’s ongoing commitment to help fight hunger, and it follows one earlier this year that provided five refrigerated trucks for food banks located in Columbus, Ga.; Memphis, Tenn.; Orlando, Fla.; San Antonio, Texas; and Shreveport, La. Within their first four months, these vehicles enabled more than 300 mobile food pantries that distributed more than 8.7 million meals in their communities.

The $2 million grant also provides financial support for the Feeding America network of food banks in communities served by Darden’s restaurants. Since 2017, the Darden Foundation has provided more than $10 million to support Feeding America member food banks across all 50 states.

These efforts go hand-in-hand with Darden’s Harvest program. Every Darden restaurant collects surplus, wholesome food that is not served to guests and prepares it for donation to local nonprofit partners. Since its inception, more than 127 million pounds of food — totaling more than 106 million meals — have been donated through the Harvest program.

Team,

This morning we announced our FY22 Q2 results, and I am pleased to share that we had a fantastic quarter. Despite the toughest inflationary environment we have seen in years, we achieved strong, profitable sales growth. Our success is a testament to the outstanding work our restaurant teams are doing to deliver great guest experiences, and the tremendous support our RSC team is providing our restaurants.

I am proud of everything we have accomplished. We continue to simplify the work in our restaurants to eliminate distractions so we can execute at the highest level. Additionally, we are making good progress on the staffing and supply chain fronts, allowing us to deliver exceptional guest experiences. Most importantly, we continue to invest in our people. Beginning January 1, we will increase the minimum hourly earnings for restaurant team members to $12, which includes income earned through gratuities. We planned to do this in 2023, but we accelerated the timing given the strength of our performance. This primarily impacts entry-level roles such as hosts, bussers and dishwashers. And with this change, we expect our restaurant team members will earn, on average, approximately $20 per hour.

Today, we also announced that I will retire as CEO at the end of this fiscal year, and Rick Cardenas, our President and Chief Operating Officer, will become CEO at that time. This is the right time for this transition, and I look forward to continuing to serve as Darden’s Chairman. Our company is in a clear position of strength, and this is also the right time for me and my family.

I am excited for Rick — who has been a tremendous partner over these last seven years and is one of the best strategic thinkers I have ever worked alongside. Our brands have tremendous opportunity ahead of them, and Rick is the perfect person to lead Darden into this next chapter.

It has been my greatest honor to lead Darden for seven years and to work alongside all of you. The success we have enjoyed, and the challenges we have overcome, are the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of great people. I am proud of the fact that the strategy we implemented in 2015, grounded in our Back-to-Basics Operating Philosophy and our four competitive advantages, allowed us to strengthen and grow our business — even during the most challenging time in our industry’s history.

Since beginning my career 45 years ago as a high school kid bussing tables, I have been captivated by the energy, excitement and camaraderie that comes from working in a restaurant. I know first-hand the type of opportunity our industry provides people, and I am most proud of the opportunities Darden has created for thousands of individuals to build a meaningful career with us.

To every team member in our restaurants, and at our restaurant support center: You are the lifeblood of our company, and I am incredibly grateful for your passion for being of service to others as you bring our brands to life every day. I have tremendous confidence in Darden’s future knowing that our success is fueled by the best team in the industry.

Thank you, and I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

We are proud to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people by encouraging the adoption of inclusive policies and practices. This distinction reinforces our commitment to ensuring an inclusive and diverse culture at Darden, which has been central to our DNA since Mr. Darden opened his first restaurant in 1938.

Each year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation releases the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) — the nation’s top benchmarking report measuring corporate policies related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:

•      - Non-discrimination policies across business entities
•      - Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families
•      - Supporting an inclusive culture
•      - Corporate social responsibility

Darden earned a score of 100 on the 2022 CEI report, meeting every outlined criteria and earning this designation.

“Inclusion and diversity has always been an essential part of Darden’s culture, and we strive to create an inclusive workplace for all of our team members,” said Sarah King, chief people and diversity officer for Darden Restaurants. “We’re proud to be the employer of choice in full-service dining, and this recognition honors our ongoing commitment to creating a work environment where everyone can be their true self,” Sarah added.

Our team members are our greatest competitive advantage, and we celebrate what makes each person unique. We will continue to prioritize our inclusion and diversity efforts not just because it is the right thing to do – but because it makes us better.

This Black History Month, we’re celebrating two leaders at The Capital Grille who were both recently promoted to Executive Chef Partner. Chef Caitlyn Nixon and Chef Wadiya Moore will lead their culinary teams to execute with precision and excellence while delivering superior team member and guest experiences.

“When I was younger, a teacher of mine told me that if someone is black or gay or a woman, then they’re screwed in this world. At that time I thought, ‘What is my life going to be?’ said Chef Caitlyn. “I wish I could go back and show that teacher how wrong he was. I’m out here making huge strides in my career, and I hope I can be an inspiration and show others that they can do it too.”

Chef Caitlyn started in the restaurant industry as a server, but she quickly fell in love with working in the kitchen. After accepting a role as a Sous Chef for The Capital Grille in Cherry Hill, NJ, she immediately knew it was the right place for her. With ongoing support from her Managing Partner and Executive Chef Partner, Caitlyn was able to strengthen her leadership skills and become an ECP at the Indianapolis restaurant.

Chef Wadiya always knew she wanted to be in the kitchen and started her career with The Capital Grille in 2005 as a Culinary Professional. After demonstrating excellence in her role, she was recognized as The Capital Grille’s “Team Member of the Year” in 2015 and eventually promoted to Sous Chef. Now, she oversees the kitchen as ECP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it’s been her dream since high school.

“When I found out about the promotion, I was absolutely ecstatic,” said Chef Wadiya. “Once the shock wore off, and I had a chance to call my husband, I took a stroll around the restaurant and simply savored the moment. We’re like a family here. Everyone was so happy for me. I was filled with joy sharing it with them.”

Chef Caitlyn and Chef Wadiya exemplify our commitment to advancing workplace diversity and providing pathways for growth. With 50-60% of all promotions into management being People of Color and/or women, Darden can provide a pathway for anyone to grow with the company.

“My leaders always build me up and help me to advance my career. I’m excited to now be in a position to teach aspiring chefs and be a great leader to them,” said Chef Wadiya.

Today, Darden’s Director of HR Technology, Jennifer Giusti, has received the 2022 Top Women in Restaurant Technology – Innovator award. Presented by Hospitality Technology (HT) and the 2022 Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference (MURTEC), the Top Women in Restaurant Technology Awards are in their sixth year and aim to recognize and honor a diverse group of women in the restaurant technology industry.

As a recipient of the Innovator award, Jennifer was recognized for being a forward thinker and executing on tools and strategy that transform the foodservice technology space in a positive manner by creating or deploying emerging technologies that reimagine how things are done while paving the way for future technologies.  

 “Technology can be a difficult career path, especially for women,” says Jennifer. “This is such a tremendous honor – but even more so during Women’s History Month. I’m so grateful to work with so many amazing women here at Darden.”

Jennifer began her journey in the world of technology as a human resources information system (HRIS) analyst at Orlando Health. Here, she learned the ins and outs of the functional aspects of systems, gaining more curiosity and interest about HR Technology.

“I love working in this industry because we’re constantly learning and adapting our systems to handle change. I’ve had to react quickly to things like legislation and business priorities, so you have to learn how to come up with solutions quickly,” says Jennifer.

In August of 2013, Jennifer made her way to Darden, becoming the Manager of HR Systems and Process Management. While working in this role, her passion for HR technology grew stronger. Now, she leads the HR Technology team at Darden as the Director.

 “I really enjoy helping others, so it seemed like a natural fit to move into the restaurant industry. I love being a part of a team that helps others become more efficient at work so they can concentrate on what matters most – their teams and their guests.”

Jennifer accepted the award during the MURTEC conference in Las Vegas, where she was celebrated during a live award ceremony attended by others from Darden.

This week, leaders across the food industry came together during the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. As part of the highly anticipated event, WFF announced their 2022 Change Makers — a group of outstanding leaders recognized as rising stars within their organizations. Winners are selected for modeling inclusive leadership that supports gender equity within their company’s culture.

One of these rising stars is Cynthia Payne, our newly promoted Senior Vice President of Operations at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

“Cynthia has been such a valued leader at Cheddar’s for years, said John Wilkerson, President of Cheddar’s. “This award is a testament to Cynthia’s track record of success in her restaurants and her ability to lead teams with conviction. As she continues in her new role, I know she will inspire team members and future leaders in the company.”

Cynthia was promoted to the role of Senior Vice President of Operations in January, overseeing the operation of more than 50 restaurants. She progressed to this position after becoming Managing Partner in Baytown, Texas — then Director of Operations for the Houston and Rio Grande Valley Region.

Over her career, Cynthia was recognized for her hard work with prestigious Cheddar’s awards like the Founder’s Award and the President’s Award, both of which celebrate her excellence in leadership and delivering results. She began her career with Cheddar’s as a restaurant manager in 2007.

“I feel so honored to be named a Change Maker by WFF. I hope this can show others who aim to grow professionally and personally at Darden that anything is possible,” says Cynthia.

On November 12, 2020, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury finalized the Transparency in Coverage Rule. This requires health insurers and group health plans to post publicly available, machine-readable files that include in-network negotiated payment rates and historical out-of-network charges for covered items and services.

Click on any of the health insurance carriers below to access machine-readable files for plans offered by Darden. Data in these machine-readable files will be updated monthly by each carrier.

• Aetna
• Cigna
• Dean
• Florida Blue
• Geisinger
• HealthNet
• Kaiser
• Medical Mutual
• Prevea360
• Priority Health
• United Healthcare
• UPMC

 Darden Restaurants is helping Feeding America® add refrigerated trucks for 10 member food banks to support mobile pantry programs and food distribution in communities with the highest need. Through a $2 million grant from the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation, and support from partners Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Logistics, each food bank will receive a 26-foot vehicle that can transport 12,000 pounds of food at a time, and will also receive $52,000 to use for food and other needs.

Food banks receiving this gift include:

~ Arkansas Foodbank (Little Rock, Ark.)
~ Chattanooga Area Food Bank (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
~ Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma (Tulsa, Okla.)
~ Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley (Pharr, Texas)
~ Golden Harvest Food Bank (Augusta, Ga.)
~ Kansas Food Bank (Wichita, Kan.)
~ Roadrunner Food Bank (Albuquerque, N.M.)
~ Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina (Fayetteville, N.C.)
~ Second Harvest Food Bank of the Big Bend (Tallahassee, Fla.)
~ Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank (Toledo, Ohio)

“Across our company, we have a higher purpose to nourish and delight everyone we serve, and that includes the communities where we operate our restaurants,” said Rick Cardenas, President and CEO of Darden Restaurants. “We’re uniquely positioned to help in the fight against hunger, and we’re proud to continue helping more Feeding America member food banks increase access to nutritious food for people who need it most.”

The Need

The rate of inflation has caused grocery prices to spike by more than 13% over the last year, and families are turning to local food banks for support. Communities of color continue to be impacted by food insecurity at a disproportionately higher rate.

In addition, local food banks are also dealing with the impacts of inflation, resulting in higher costs for food and the transportation needed to acquire and deliver food to their communities. Feeding America helped identify food banks serving communities of color with disproportionately high levels of food insecurity to receive a truck to help increase their mobile food pantry capacity.

“As food prices remain stubbornly high, the nearly 34 million people who experienced food insecurity in 2021 continue to face a tough choice, whether to purchase food or pay for other basic needs, such as electricity or medicine,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. “This Hunger Action Month, we’re grateful for the collaborative efforts from Darden, Penske and Lineage in continuing to provide member food banks with refrigerated trucks that will help reach more communities and provide millions of meals to individuals and families across the country.”   

Responding to the Need

Darden and the Darden Foundation have been partners with Feeding America for more than 10 years. This donation marks the latest effort in Darden’s ongoing commitment to help fight hunger, and it follows two previous donations that provided 15 refrigerated trucks for food banks located in: Birmingham, Ala.; Columbus, Ga.; Detroit, Mich.; Ft. Worth, Texas; Huntsville, Ala.; Jackson, Miss.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Memphis, Tenn.; Monroe, La.; Orlando, Fla.; San Antonio, Texas; Shreveport, La.; Tampa, Fla.; Theodore, Ala.; and Tyler, Texas. Within the first year of serving their communities, these trucks have conducted more than 7,000 mobile food pantry distributions and helped provide more than 27 million meals.*

This work builds on Darden’s ongoing Harvest program, which donates unserved, nutritious food from Darden’s family of restaurants to local nonprofits. Since this program’s inception, Darden’s team members have ‘harvested’ more than 130 million pounds food — amounting to more than 108 million meals.*

*According to the USDA, 1.2 pounds of food is equivalent to one meal.