...MBAA 606 Talisha Quinta Case Study Write- up Red Lobster March 17, 2015 COMPANY OVERVIEW Red Lobster is a chain of casual dining restaurants, founded and managed by Bill Darden. The headquarters of the company is located Florida, and it has branches in Japan, United Arab Emirates, and Canada. Red Lobster has approximately 698 branches. The company was formed in 1968, with the aim of providing a place where Americans will get some seafood. The company was successful in introducing fresh and new delicacies to their customers. These fresh dishes became popular, and this accelerated the growth of the company, and in 1980s, the company made its presence in Canada. However, its Canadian experience was not good; this is because the company made lots of losses. Competition was stiff in Canada, and due to poor strategies and lack of sufficient market information, the company was forced to close some of its branches in Quebec, Canada. This happened on September 1997. In 1995, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze were integrated, as part of the Darden Restaurants Inc. Joe Lee was then in charge as the Chief Executive Officer, and later on, he handed the company to Clarence Otis. The company is passionate about seafood, and over the years, the company has initiated the culture of innovation for the purposes of introducing and developing new menus that will satisfy the needs of its customers. Red Lobster has become a household name and over the years was able to gain...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...RED LOBSTER: MARKET RESEARCH REVEALS WHATS FRESH TODAY BACKGROUND 1968: Foundation: Red Lobster was founded in 1968 by entrepreneur Bill Darden and Charley Woossby. Originally billed as a “Harbor for seafood Lovers”, the original restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, was followed by several others throughout the Southest. 1970: General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970 as a five-unit restaurant company and rapidly expanded the company nationwide. As it reached more parts of the country, Red Lobster continually introduced guests to fresh dishes that quickly became favorites, with many guests getting their first taste of calamari, snow crab and Key lime pie here – not to mention the fact that it is where popcorn shrimp was invented. (after 1970, until 1980) In 1980, this year was one of the most important for the company, reaching and being in their stage of maturity, a stage in which all companies desire to be in there. In 1983, Red Lobster opened its first restaurant in Canada (Windsor, Ontario) Finishing, in 1995, after decades of success and growth, Red Lobster, together with Olive Garden and later Bahama Breeze, became part of Darden Restaurants, with Joe at the helm until 2005, when he turned the reins over to current CEO and Chairman Clarence Otis. Over the years, their passion for seafood and delicious experiences has kept Red Lobster evolving. Their menu has grown and changed with their guests’ tastes and their ability to bring the best of the sea to your table...
Words: 3041 - Pages: 13
...Assignment 1: Vice President of Operations, Part 1 Due Week 3 and worth 200 points Scenario: Imagine that you are the vice president of operations at a production or service organization. You have noticed that your organization’s current operations strategy is not supporting the challenges that the organization is presently facing. In order to maintain a competitive edge, you must address these challenges with your Chief Executive Officer immediately. Select an existing production organization. Analyze the organization’s current vision, mission, business strategy, operation strategy, supply chain, total quality management, just-in-time philosophy, forecasting method, statistical technique, facility location, work design, project life cycle, and project management. Note: You will need this information in order to complete this and subsequent assignments. As you collect the information for Assignment 1 and Assignment 2, remember that in Assignment 3 you must prepare a presentation for your Chief Executive Officer. Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you: 1. Evaluate key elements of the selected production or service organization’s operational efficiency with its operational strategy. Determine three (3) tasks that do not align with the operational strategy. Determine the weaknesses that are evident in each task. 2. Formulate a new operations strategy for the selected organization based on the four (4) competitive priorities (i.e., cost, quality, time...
Words: 1502 - Pages: 7
...Institute in Tuscany has shaped a genuine Italian menu. Geographic Segmentation is something that Darden exhibits in the Longhorn chain. Longhorn Restaurants are currently only found in the eastern half of the US. This offers an opportunity for extensive expansion going forward. Demographic Segmentation is exemplified by Red Lobster’s efforts to fill the gap between fast-food seafood and upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Behavioral Segmentation is realized in usage rates. Darden, along with all other sit-down restaurants, are seeing a decline in the frequency that diners are eating out at sit-down meals. This is a result of economic decline and consumers becoming more particular with how they chose to use their limited finance resources. 2. Has Darden differentiated and positioned its brands effectively? I believe that Darden has done a good job of this. Darden’s brands are so well differentiated and positioned and the corporate name is kept so low-profile that most customers don’t realize they share a common ownership. They have different niche-type markets meaning they have Italian market through Olive Garden, Seafood through Red Lobster, and Steakhouse market through...
Words: 680 - Pages: 3
...Marketing Plan: Phase I Kelly Addis, Jillian Caldwell, Kristen Kobyluck, Jaclyn Portugal, & Honey Spoon MKT/421 April 24, 2011 Matt Rosenberg Marketing Plan: Phase I During week two, Learning Team B will take a thorough look at the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant chain. Team B has decided that a new appetizer item should be added to the restaurant menu. The appetizer item being considered is cheese filled breadsticks served with Marinara sauce. The team will begin this marketing plan by giving an overview of the Olive Garden Restaurant, along with a detailed description of the new menu item being considered. They will also explain why marketing plays an important role in the restaurants success. A SWOTT analysis will be given to introduce all the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends that should be considered prior to introducing this new appetizer to their menu. Finally, a marketing research approach will be decided upon and used to develop the marketing strategy and tactics for this new appetizer item. Olive Garden Restaurant General Mills originally created the Olive Garden restaurants in 1982. In June of 1995, General Mills moved the Olive Garden division to its newly developed Darden Restaurants, Inc. Olive Garden has quickly become the largest casual dining restaurant company in the world. Olive Garden uses Italy as its basis of inspiration and attempts to focus on hospitality and a pleasing dining experience. In 1999...
Words: 1594 - Pages: 7
...Case Study Analysis: Locating the Next Red Lobster Restaurant Amanda K Passaretti February 7, 2015 Prof. Jonathan Bates BUS520: Operations Management From its first Red Lobster restaurant in 1968, Darden Restaurants has grown the chain to 690 locations, with over $2.6 billion in U.S. sales annually. The casual dining market may be crowded, with competitors such as Chili’s, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee’s, TGI Fridays, and Outback, but Darden’s continuing success means the chain thinks there is still plenty of room to grow. Robert Reiner, director of market development, is charged with identifying the sites that will maximize new store sales without cannibalizing sales at existing Red Lobster locations. Characteristics for identifying a good site have not changed in forty years; they still include real estate prices, customer age, competition, ethnicity, income, family size, population density, nearby hotels, and buying behavior, to name just a few. What has changed is the powerful software that allows Reiner to analyze a new site in five minutes, as opposed to the eight hours it took just a few years ago. Darden has partnered with MapInfo Corporation, whose geographic information system (GIS) contains a powerful module for analyzing a trade area. With the U.S. geocoded down to the individual block, MapInfo allows Reiner to create a psychographic profile of existing and potential Red Lobster trade areas. “We can now target areas with greatest sales potential,” says Reiner. The...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...Darden Incorporated has begun to stand out in the last few years for their customer service and fair prices. In 2007, LongHorn was labeled as a Darden company. In early 2014 there were 464 LongHorn restaurants nationwide and projected to grow. When Longhorn joined Darden Inc., this created $1.38 billion in sales for Darden Inc. Darden’s mission. Darden’s mission statement is to be financially successful through great people consistently delivering great food and drinks, great service and making every guest. The Longhorn vision statement aims to maintain a safe, consistent environment by promoting dependable staff that communicates regularly to make trauma informed decisions. Lastly, the core value is that Longhorn wants to treat each other...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...2012 NAME: Last: Tamayo First:Fransisco Link to Article (if available): http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-02/darden-sees-olive-garden-red-lobster-making-new-revenue-retail Strategy Article Illustrates: Concentric Diversification/ Market Development What leads you to believe this is the strategy illustrated? Both restaurants are known for their casual dining atmosphere in suburbia America. What a lot of people do not know is that the same company, Darden, owns these companies. The article states that the company will begin offering a both Red Lobster and Olive Garden under the same roof, a strategy often used by fast-food restaurant chains. This move leads me to believe that Darden is trying to implement a, much like their restaurants, a combination strategy. The new combination restaurant exemplifies the concentric diversification strategy by taking the two individual restaurants and evolving them under one roof. They will continue to capitalize on each of the restaurants specialties while minimizing the cost of two separate buildings. Additionally, they will use the strategy of market development to nicely complement concentric diversification. The article continues to explain that Darden has chosen to use the Red Lobster-Olive Garden restaurant fusion to reach potential customers that live in rural areas. Why has the company decided on this strategy? There are a few reasons why the company has decided to...
Words: 478 - Pages: 2
...Foundations Paper Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Longhorn Steakhouse are places many have had the pleasure of visiting. These restaurants focus on providing exceptional customer service and creating a positive work environment for their employees. Along with the focus on exceptional service, these restaurants share another commonality; they are all a part of the Darden Restaurant Group. In 1938, a 19 year old by the name of Bill Darden opened his first restaurant. Over the next 70 years, Bill Darden would add eight different restaurants brands to his portfolio of companies, each one dedicated to providing exceptional customer service. In 1995, the Darden Restaurants Group Inc. would develop the Darden Foundation. A foundation committed to giving millions of dollars to support non-profit organizations in the communities Darden restaurants serve. Darden Foundation The Darden Foundation was founded in 1995 and named for its founder Bill Darden. In partnership with more than 2,100 restaurants and 200,000 employees, the Darden Foundation works each day — through grant making and strong partnerships — to bring a tradition of service to life in every community Darden serves (http://www.dardenfoundation.com, 2014). The Darden Foundation is focused and committed to making a meaningful impact on the communities they serve. The Darden Foundation identifies and invests in national nonprofits across the U.S. and near its company headquarters in Central Florida. The Darden...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...represented by Olive Garden’s plan to build a dining experience around the concept of a fabled Italian family. Olive Garden’s marketing team learned that a primary customer insight shows that customers are as interested in emotional nourishment as they are in physical nourishment. Styling the restaurant as an Italian farmhouse, commercials that invite you to be “part of the family”, and training at their Culinary Institute in Tuscany has shaped a genuine Italian menu. Geographic Segmentation is something that Darden exhibits in the Longhorn chain. Longhorn Restaurants are currently only found in the eastern half of the US. This offers an opportunity for extensive expansion going forward. Demographic Segmentation is exemplified by Red Lobster’s efforts to fill the gap between fast-food seafood and upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Behavioral Segmentation is realized in usage rates. Darden, along with all other sit-down restaurants, are seeing a decline in the frequency that diners are eating out at sit-down meals. This is a result of economic decline and consumers becoming more particular with how they chose to use their limited finance resources. Slavica Ristoska 2. Has Darden differentiated and positioned its brands effectively? Explain. Answer: I believe that Darden has done a good job of this. Darden’s brands are so well differentiated and positioned...
Words: 780 - Pages: 4
...Garden portrays an Italian family farmhouse. In demographics segmentation, Red Lobster filled the gap in the market between the still-young fast-food concept and upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. In psychological segmentation, Olive Garden builds a dining experience around the concept of a mythical Italian family. Olive Garden’s research shows that people go to a restaurant for emotional as well as physical nourishment. In behavioral segmentation, there is a drop in the frequency that diners are eating out at sit-down meals because of the economic decline. This is realized in usage rates. 2.) It’s believed that Darden has differentiated and positioned its brand effectively. All these chains have the same owner, but are completely different. They target a variety of different consumers. Darden is constantly tweaking its formulas to achieve the best mix of independence and collaboration among its brands. The different chains might use the same technologies for cooking and resources, but each brand retains its distinctive positioning. Red Lobster has changed its positioning for the concept of “stealth health”. The chain developed a new menu around wood-fired grilling as an option instead of only fried seafood. They spent $350 million in remodeling, but the chain was recently dubbed “best sit-down chain in America” by Men’s Health magazine. 3.) Different approaches can be better for each brand. Red Lobster’s endless shrimp could backfire if the shrimp population decreases...
Words: 329 - Pages: 2
...Darlarna is a high-end Swedish furniture company that produces and sells various home and office furniture products across Canada. Despite having small distribution coverage, it managed to achieve high growth rates and profits between 2005 and 2007. As the company began expanding into the United States market in 2008, it found itself struggling to compete with the high rise in the factors of production and threats from competitors. The company soon reported a drastic decrease in net income and internal financial problems. Looking at the balance sheet and the information provided, the company should seek to retrench in 2009 in hopes of stabilizing profits and its financial problems. Despite the perceived potential in the U.S. market, Darlarna should reduce its growth and expansion because the financial crisis brings great uncertainty that would further threaten the survival of the company. From the balance sheet, it can be seen that the financial crisis has greatly impacted the financial outlook of the company. Prior to its entrance to the U.S. market, the company reported over $1.3 million in net sales with around $523 thousand in gross profits in 2006 and over $1.5 million in net sales with a gross profit of around $550 thousand in 2007. Despite the opportunity of gaining many potential customers in the U.S., the company only reported net sales of around $1.8 with $581 thousand in gross profits. Looking at the net sales and gross profits, the company’s rapid expansion into...
Words: 670 - Pages: 3
...TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary……………………………………………………………………………….2-3 BRAND / COMPANY HISTORY AND BACKGROUND 3-5 SWOT ANALYSIS 5-6 ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION………………………………………………………………………..6-8 RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………………………..8-11 CLOSING SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………………..11-12 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………………....13 STATEMENT OF TRUTH ………………………………………………………………………………14 Red Lobster Executive Summary: In 1968, Bill Darden and his team opened the first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Florida. Red Lobster is one of the largest casual chain restaurants in the world. The restaurant experienced much success, and in 1970 it was acquired by General Mills. In 1983, Red Lobster expanded internationally into Canada. In 1995, General Mills separated Red Lobster brand from the General Mills Restaurant Group and launched Darden Restaurants, Inc. The brand struggled throughout the following years due to the opening of competitive chains. Red Lobster experienced declining sales through the early 2000’s, due to faster dining options, such as Chipotle and Panera Bread. Currently, there are 705 locations worldwide, in countries such as United States, Canada, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Mexico, and Japan. Unfortunately, Red Lobster is currently struggling from an identity crisis. Customers do not understand if the chain is supposed to be fast-casual, fine dining, or casual dining. The décor and atmosphere are very casual...
Words: 3297 - Pages: 14
...The Red lobster’s mission statement states that “Here at Red Lobster we’re passionate about serving our guests great seafood. It’s why we go the extra mile to bring you the best dining experience possible. Our fishermen take pride in catching only the highest quality seafood, and the freshest fish. Our grill master’s expertly perfect flavors, cooking seafood and steak over a wood fire grill. And our servers pull out all the stops to make every dining experience feel extra special. It’s our passion. It’s our pride. Because at Red Lobster, we Sea Food Differently.” This is a very good mission statement seeing that it identifies most of the policies that a mission statement should provide. It states how the employees will deal with the customers by saying “…our servers pull out all the stops to make every dining experience feel extra special. It also states its competitive advantage by identifying that their suppliers catch the freshest fish they can. Also, that they have master chefs cooking the best meal for their customers as well. Red lobster said that “Our top priority is to always serve our guests the highest-quality seafood.” (http://www.redlobster.com/our_quality_story/our_commitment_to_quality/) and with fresh food and master chefs this will most definitely last them for a long time. Target Markets Red lobster isn’t trying to be the world’s fanciest seafood restaurant, but more of the world’s best overall seafood restaurant. Their target market is that of a middle...
Words: 1792 - Pages: 8
...LobXprt Where consider the quality Prepared For : Name Designation : Mr.Md. Shahinur Sobhan : Lecturer Department of Business Administration Name of the institute : Dhaka City College. Prepared By : Sl. No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Name ID Ismat Jahan Senjuti Md. Asim Shadab SK. Rajibul Hasan Mahamuda Akter Asaduzzaman Md.Hasan Imam 135 165 125 149 145 159 Section: B Batch: 7th Session: 2004-2005 Group: 7 B.B.A. Dhaka City College 2|Page Letter of Transmittal August 20, 2009 Mr.Md. Shahinur Sobhan Department of Business Administration Dhaka City College Bangladesh Subject: Submission of Feasibility study of LobXprt. Dear Sir, We have the honor to state that My Project report is submitted to you for your kind supervision. Under shade of Feasibility Study we have collected data from various sources which were unknown to us in past but now we can realize the importance of a Project feasibility study and its implication in the present and future growth of one’s career. We would like to draw your attention that we are worked with our utmost sincerity to prepare this report. We, therefore, request you to kindly grant the feasibility study of “LobXprt”. Thanking you in anticipation. Sincerely yours Name Ismat Jahan Senjuti Md. Asim Shadab SK. Rajibul Hasan Mahamuda Akter Asaduzzaman Md.Hasan Imam ID 135 165 125 149 145 159 BBA, 7th Batch Section: B Dhaka City College. 3|Page Acknowledgement We are expressing gratitude to Almighty, the Merciful and the Benevolent Allah for...
Words: 15565 - Pages: 63
