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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
      3.0
      Nov 18, 2008

      Another Darden GM moves on.

      General manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Well organized and has the finacial backing to continue to grow in hard times. Marketing while it hasn't changed much, seems to still work. Good brand image, food quality and total quality is very important to the company and creates pride in it.

      Cons

      Slow moving company, very sensitive to political correctness and not what is really needed in the company. Way to many support staff, so it takes to many voices to make change. Very little decision making at the front line level. You get lost in the number of managers and employees with the company. Also, Darden cannot seem to recreate Olive Garden and Red Lobster with many Brands failing.

      4.0
      Nov 16, 2008

      Put myself through college working part time here.

      Bartender/waiter
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The training was very good, we ate everything on the menu and took tests over a 40 hour work week. The work environment was definitely a great thing as most of the people who worked there were very friendly and made the time pass more quickly. I usually made good tips and averaged about $25-30/hr bartending or serving. The benefits are very good for being a waiter/bartender and included stock plan discounts, 401k, medical, dental, disability insurance, etc.

      Cons

      There was a large management disconnect and the store was often unorganized. The cooks needed more training on how to prepare food more quickly because we frequently had 45minute+ waits for food. The management needs to ask the 'real workers' before making huge changes that mess everything up.

      3.0
      Oct 29, 2008

      Experience will mold an accurate opinion

      Server
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      If you are looking to perform a customer service job that allows schedule flexibility, Darden is hard to beat. They have really got their act together when it comes to training new employees (as long as the plan is followed as it should be.) By the time a new crew member is finished training, they should feel very comfortable in their position and their work environment. They offer different types of insurance, and it is available to sign up for the first day you start working. The benefits available to crew members sweeten as the amount of time they spend working for the company lengthens.

      Cons

      What you will find with each restaurant will be different, as different personalities of crew members and management styles will also change. I've worked for a lot of different managers, some good, some bad. The current managing team seems to have a problem giving timely job performance feedback, they like to yell at employees in front of other employees and guests, and they are so concerned with saving their labor hours that they'll cut the staff down to a skeleton crew and expect the people that are left to pick up the slack. I don't mean petty work, I mean servers closing down the kitchen for $2.13/hour.

      Viewing 2677 - 2679 of 2,846 Reviews
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      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.