Soft Sales at Red Lobster Sink Darden's Earnings
Consumers' increasing preference for fast-food outlets such as Chipotle and Panera take a toll on Darden's third-quarter earnings.
Consumers' increasing preference for fast-food outlets such as Chipotle and Panera take a toll on Darden's third-quarter earnings.
The overall economy may be picking up, but restaurants are hurting. And it's the casual, or family-style chains – such as Red Lobster, Applebee's, and Bob Evans – that are feeling the most pain.
From Fedex reporting earnings to BlackBerry finally bringing the Z10 smartphone to America, there will be plenty happening to move the markets in the week ahead.
Darden Restaurants, struggling to draw more customers into its Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants, said Friday that its third-quarter profit could fall below Wall Street's expectations and cut its outlook for the year.
Here are some items that will shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Drug stores, Darden Restaurants, and uniform seller Cintas all report earnings -- each a bellwether in its own way; Cisco looks to sell Linksys; and holiday shoppers hit the home stretch.
The chain that brought seafood to the masses is hoping to broaden its appeal by revamping its menu on Oct. 15 to boost the number of dishes that cater to diners who don't want seafood, and to attract customers who have cut back on spending.
The company behind Red Lobster and Olive Garden -- as well as the smaller LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille, and Bahama Breeze concepts -- saw its stock hit a new all-time high on Friday after it posted better-than-expected quarterly results. But trends at its two most important restaurants are cause for concern.
The tables are turning in the casual dining industry. Outback Steakhouse, which sold itself to a private equity group, is gearing up to go public. At the same time, publicly held Benihana is looking for a way out.
If you're finding it a bit easier to snag a table at your favorite restaurant lately, don't go crediting your debonair charm or your glowing Yelp review. Eateries really are less crowded these days.
Spending for the lovers' holiday this year is expected to climb 5.8% over 2009, and that spells opportunity for investors. Here are some greeting card, candy, jewelry, flower and restaurant stocks that could get a lift from sweethearts looking for that special something.
With its supplier, AmeriPure, shutting down operations, the popular seafood chain has no choice but to pull the shellfish. Now AmeriPure's future is on the rocks.











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