Skip to contentSkip to footer
employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Darden

Is this your company?

Darden reviews

3.8

68% would recommend to a friend

(2,847 total reviews)

Rick Cardenas

75% 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 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,847 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
4.0
Dec 1, 2008

Decent place to work

Line cook
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Darden has been in my experience one of the most cohesive and focused restaurants i have ever worked for. Standards are high for everyone and help is always made available to anyone and everyone.

Cons

A great restaurant is still a restaurant. It is a very high stress and fast paced place to work.

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.

Viewing 2677 - 2679 of 2,847 Reviews
Related searches: Darden jobs | Darden salaries | Darden benefits | Darden interviews | Darden conversations
ReviewsDarden reviews

Glassdoor has 2,910 Darden reviews submitted anonymously by Darden employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Darden is right for you.