Seasons 52

How deep is your bench?

Make sure you have star players ready to step up to the plate. Your training program should have many components, including work outs and practice games...

…While Darden reaches out to Olive Garden customers

The company issued a very public thanks to Olive Garden fans who have spoken out in defense of the chain and its parent in the struggle with Starboard over matters like salted pasta water and breadstick portion sizes. Some of those allies, Darden says, have tagged themselves on Twitter as #TeamBreadsticks.

A layer of field management and several key execs are gone, along with such travel privileges as use of corporate planes.

Olive Garden is suspending its renovation program, a key part of the brand’s turnaround plan, to gauge the return on investment over a longer timeframe, parent company Darden Restaurants told investors yesterday.

Technomic has announced the winners of its 2015 Chain Restaurant Consumers’ Choice Awards, which are based on consumer assessments delivered through the research and consulting firm’s ongoing Consumer Brand Metrics study.

New research shows which brands restaurant-goers favor in five categories.

The 100 or so chain executives attending Chicago researcher Technomic’s 2015 Consumer Insights and Planning Program this January learned how the perplexing consumer is evolving under such influences as a tepid economy and rapid-fire technical advances. Some revelations had pens scratching across notepads in a frenzy, including these.

Icing has kept East Coast fishermen from harvesting at their usual levels.

The former Del Frisco’s COO will oversee the growth of Barcelona Wine Bar and the Bartaco taqueria concept.

The former Bonefish Grill exec joins Tony Roma’s parent.

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