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      Darden

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      Darden reviews

      3.7

      67% would recommend to a friend

      (2,846 total reviews)

      Rick Cardenas

      72% approve of CEO

      68% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.1

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.8

      Culture & values

      3.7

      Career opportunities

      3.5

      Senior management

      3.5

      Compensation and benefits

      3.4

      Work/Life balance

      Darden has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 2,846 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Darden employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.7 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      3K reviews
      5.0
      Mar 9, 2015

      Great!

      Server
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Always willing to work with your schedule

      Cons

      Unsteady income and unpredictable hours

      4.0
      Mar 5, 2015

      Great job for a student.

      Server
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Very flexible schedule, receive 25 percent off family and friend discount.

      Cons

      Over schedule , too many servers.

      4.0
      Mar 3, 2015

      Waiting tables sucks no matter where you do it, but at Seasons 52 I find that it sucks just a little bit less.

      Server
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Darden restaurants are the only ones I will consider working in any more, because (though not perfect) I feel that they do take necessary steps to take care of their employees. You receive much better training in a Darden restaurant than at any other kind of restaurant I've worked in, the management are overall on a higher level of caring and integrity, and my store in particular has AMAZINGLY responsive and caring managers who really want to help you to be happy with your job and give you the opportunity to succeed. In my store, we are served family meals every Saturday and sometimes Sunday, we are given the opportunity to have the restaurant supplement our tips in the event of a really cheap table (I had a guest leave me $5 on $200, and the restaurant made up the missing $35), and the managers are always very open and candid with us. It really is like a little family, and we all do our best to take care of each other.

      Cons

      Let's be perfectly fair, this is still a massive restaurant chain, and your experience is going to be different depending on which store you are in. I had a terrible experience at the Olive Garden I worked in, a mediocre experience at Bahama Breeze, and an excellent experience at Seasons 52. All of these brands are owned by Darden, and all of them have a very different business model. At the end of the day, you have to know and understand and be okay with the realities of working in restaurants to be happy here, and not every location is going to have awesome staff or awesome customers. Location is key, and your attitude is key. Darden remains on of the best restaurant companies I've ever worked for, but never forget that it is still a restaurant company.

      Viewing 139 - 141 of 2,846 Reviews
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      ReviewsDarden reviews

      Glassdoor has 2,909 Darden reviews submitted anonymously by Darden employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Darden is right for you.