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Olive Garden’s enduring popularity reflects its ability to delight guests with a genuine Italian dining experience. How do you inspire thou- sands of employees around the country to do that consistently? One of Becki’s favorite ways is to have new hires experience Olive Garden’s legendary Hospitaliano! ®  firsthand. “Often, we will treat a recent hire to a dinner as our guest, “ she explains. “The general manager will visit the table to find out how things are going and to let the team member know he or she is surrounded and supported by a real family. We want them to experience the same magic as our guests.” 

Fresh, simple, delicious Italian food, complemented by a great glass of wine in a comfortable home-like Italian setting, where you’re welcomed by people who treat you like family is central to Olive Garden’s brand promise, a promise that continues to keep this 21-year casual dining veteran on top. In recent surveys, Olive Garden ranks highest in over- all guest satisfaction among the largest operators in casual dining. Olive Garden also continues to outpace the industry benchmark in same-restaurant guest count growth, and leads the industry in top- of-mind brand awareness among consumers. 

With 19 net new restaurants opened during fiscal 2004 and plans to continue opening new restaurants, identifying new leadership will continue to be a priority for Olive Garden. Leadership Assessment and Development at Darden Restaurants (LADDR) is a process that helps Olive Garden and all other Darden concepts identify new leaders and create effective career development programs for them. LADDR is a two-day assessment of a restaurant manager’s capabili- ties to become a general manager. If he or she isn’t ready yet, LADDR determines what needs to be done to prepare the person for promo- tion. This intense evaluation process has led to much higher success rates for those who are promoted, and has proven to be an excellent leadership development tool for the Company. 

As for Becki Giese, she has developed her own way of identifying up-and-coming talent. She is constantly looking for people who are working “up a level.” “I try to spot people who are already acting the role they aspire to,” Becki says. “These are the people who will be leading Olive Garden through its next decade of success.” 

