Loading
Wall Street analysts credit a sales resurgence at the Olive Garden — a new breadstick recipe helped — with being at the forefront of the so-far successful corporate turnaround at Darden Restaurants.
But Darden executives say the recent success also requires behind-the-scenes leaders such as Ray Atwood, general manager of the Bahama Breeze in Tampa. Atwood has been GM of the Tampa location for 18 years — three lifetimes in the high turnover industry. Atwood was recently awarded Darden Diamond Club status, an annual top-performer honor based on sales and other metrics, for the sixth time since 1998. Orlando-based Darden's brands include Seasons 52, The Capital Grill and Longhorn Steakhouse.
Atwood is one 86 general managers and managing partners to notch Diamond Club status out of the more than 1,500 Darden has companywide spread out across North America. He's also one of three of 35 Bahama Breeze GMs to make the top performers club, according to statement.
Atwood, whose Bahama Breeze on Rocky Point Drive is a whopping 14,000-square-feet inside and out, and seats up to 500 people, says the secret to his success is to keep things simple. “It's not about changing things around all the time,” Atwood tells Coffee Talk. “It's about delivering good food, on time in a clean environment day after day.”
It helps that Atwood's four top managers have all been with him since 1998, which provides an unusual amount of comfort and trust at the top when making hiring and other decisions. “I'm old school,” says Atwood. “I want to be brilliant with the basics.”
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
