LongHorn Steakhouse

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 23, 2023

Reality Check: The retiring Darden Restaurants chairman blazed a career that should shush assertions the restaurant industry will take you nowhere.

Financing

Darden's Q4 margins outstrip pre-COVID levels despite below-inflation pricing

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 23, 2022

The parent of Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse said its ongoing effort to simplify operations lowered labor costs.

Premium

Financing

How Lone Star Steakhouse fell off its horse

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 28, 2022

Reality Check: Once a worthy rival of Texas Roadhouse, LongHorn and Logan's, the brand is no longer around. Here's why.

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Leadership

A look back at Gene Lee's sometimes contrarian approach to leading Darden

By Peter Romeo on Dec. 17, 2021

The longtime restaurant leader intends to retire in May. Here's how his thinking has influenced a casual-dining giant—if not the industry itself, according to RB's Reality Check.

Consumer Trends

Casual dining's traffic is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, study finds

By Peter Romeo on Jul. 16, 2021

The sector's customer counts should top 2019 levels by the end of summer, according to the report.

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Financing

Quick: Which restaurant segment is currently soaring?

By Peter Romeo on Jul. 01, 2021

Not even Jeopardy’s best might have nailed the surprising answer.

Premium

Consumer Trends

Can casual chains hold onto their off-premise gains?

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 28, 2021

Darden Restaurants, the segment's biggest player, doesn’t have the answer, but CEO Gene Lee admits his first assessment was off-target.

Financing

Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse find new profitability as sales return

By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 24, 2021

The chains generated record restaurant-level margins last quarter as improved same-store sales coupled with better operations led to stronger profits.

Financing