Red Lobster 2007 Annual Report Download - page 14

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12
At Darden, we have a proven approach to capture the long-term
opportunity in casual dining, based on four foundational pillars
– competitively superior leadership, brand management excel-
lence, restaurant operations excellence and restaurant support
excellence. This platform has served us well and enabled us
to achieve competitively superior same-restaurant sales growth
and net earnings per share from continuing operations growth.
However, we have fallen short of where we want to be in top-
line growth, largely due to a lag in new restaurant growth.
In fiscal 2007, we made important progress in addressing
opportunities to prepare for the new restaurant growth we
need to improve top-line sales. Our operating infrastructure
and strong balance sheet are competitive advantages that
position us to capitalize on the potential we see in casual dining.
Our scale and competitively superior purchasing operation
allow us to absorb near-term cost pressures better than most in
our industry. We have the funding and expertise to develop new
food ideas and increase marketing support, and the capital and
capability to build new restaurants and acquire new brands.
By continuing to combine disciplined management of
the business with balanced growth plans that set appropriate
one-year targets and include the appropriate investments,
Darden is working on the right things to drive strong future
sales and earnings growth.
Proven
APPROACH
A