“In the second quarter, Darden’s total sales boomed 14.6 percent, year-over-year, to $1.88 billion…[even as] BDO’s latest edition of The Counter, an industry benchmarking update that collects data from publicly traded restaurant companies, showed that sales at casual and upscale casual restaurants fell 0.9 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, across the board, in the past quarter.”
“The 500-unit LongHorn has reduced its menu by nearly 30 percent over the past couple of years. The change has led to higher level of execution, Lee said. It’s also allowed LongHorn to focus on quality, guest experience, and service.”