Olive Garden parent CEO says fast food inflation driving customers to sit-down franchises

Cardenas said Darden, which owns popular franchises including Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse, has not yet benefited from the trend, but noted competitors like Brinker International, which owns Chili's, and Applebee's parent Dine Brands have begun to market towards fast food customers with cheap deals. On Darden's quarterly earnings call on Thursday, Cardenas said industry data shows "a little bit of a shift" from fast food joints to sit-down competitors. His comments come after a recent survey conduct ...