Lee's March: Darden head looks back at what works

Cheers, April, 2005

Cheers Conference keynoter Joe Lee, ceo of Darden Restaurants, strongly urged restaurant operators and beverage professionals to become "passionate benefactors" during his address. Lee said that a patron of the arts "is a passionate benefactor, supporter and defender ... In the casual dining world, these patrons should be our restaurant managers." As the ceo of Darden, Lee is responsible for the operations of four of the country's most successful chain restaurants: Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Smokey Bones.

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"So, we must convert our managers to patrons of the art of beverage, if we're going to 'raise the bar' or increase adult beverage sales," Lee stressed. His presentation dovetailed with the conference's theme, "The Modern Art of Beverage." Four "components for success" for restaurant managers were also covered by Lee: "Make the most of adult beverage suppliers; do 'what's right' for our brands; use the best tools available, and measure results accurately."

Lee examined a common problem for beverage professionals: keeping focus while juggling many responsibilities. "We've been able to prove it," Lee said. "In our surveys to determine the effectiveness of our branding efforts, the rating of the experience and the size of the tip, we've found that guests who have an adult beverage rate the experience higher, and in fact do tip more."

Darden's experience with establishing Bahama Breeze, which was heavily weighted toward the creative, rum-based drink menus that has won the chain previous Cheers awards, taught Darden that dedicated beverage managers and specialized training helps their concepts to exceed industry averages for adult beverage sales.