Pursuits
Olive Garden’s Hedge Fund Bosses Waited Tables to Aid Turnaround
How Starboard Engineered an Olive Garden Turnaround
This article is for subscribers only.
After Starboard Value took over the board of Darden Restaurants Inc., the hedge fund wanted its newly minted directors to have a feel for the business. So it put them to work.
Every board member worked a night in a restaurant, said Starboard Chief Executive Officer Jeff Smith, who also is Darden’s chairman. Smith said he waited on tables and served food in the kitchen.