1. What managerial roles is Clarence Otis emphasizing in the case just presented?
2. What challenges would restaurant managers face in implementing Otis’s approach to keeping the restaurants performing well during a slow period in the economy?
3. If you have visited a Darden restaurant lately, what suggestions can you offer top level management for attracting even more customers?
4. Based on media reports, how successful do you think Clarence Otis has been in helping the Darden chain become a continuing success?
5. What financial management practices of the Darden chain might be useful to you in managing your personal finances?

Clarence Otis, chairman and chief executive of Darden Restaurants Inc., sees better days ahead for an industry that took a beating during the Great Recession of the recent past. Otis, whose company owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Long Horn Steakhouse, and other casual dining chains, expected the job losses that cut consumer spending to abate in the first quarter of 2010.