Thread: AL - Olive Garden - No American flags at Kiwanis meeting.

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News Flash Olive Garden Forbids US flag at AL Restaurant
http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1275714.html#1275714

I am going to call them to tell them that unless I see a large American flag displayed at their entrance, I will inform the hostess I am not staying to eat, and then I will walk out after warning them that their restaurant may soon be picketed.

You could get together with friends and have one very long cup of coffee or a coke.

I sent off an email. Waiting to hear back. But I think a call would be very appropriate as well.

This is just beyond comprehension??

I haven't set foot into or spent a dime at a Darden restaurant since they refused to fly the flag for the Verterns in Alabama. This is what a LOT of companies are going to do. Good luck to anyone that thinks they can build their fortune and take care of their families with part time employment. JMO

Darden tests limiting worker hours as health-care changes loom


By Sandra Pedicini, Orlando Sentinel7:15 p.m. EDT, October 7, 2012

In an experiment apparently aimed at keeping down the cost of health-care reform, Orlando-basedDarden Restaurants has stopped offering full-time schedules to many hourly workers in at least a few Olive Gardens, Red Lobsters and LongHorn Steakhouses.

Darden said the test is taking place in "a select number" of restaurants in four markets, including Central Florida, but would not give details. The company said there has been no decision made about expanding it.

In an emailed statement, Darden said staffing changes are "just one of the many things we are evaluating to help us address the cost implications health care reform will have on our business. There are still many unanswered questions regarding the health care regulations and we simply do not have enough information to make any decisions at this time."

Analysts say many other companies, including the White Castle hamburger chain, are considering employing fewer full-timers because of key features of the Affordable Care Act scheduled togo into effect in 2014. Under that law,large companies must provide affordable health insurance to employees working an average of at least 30 hours per week.

If they do not, the companies can face fines of up to $3,000 for each employee who then turns to an exchange — an online marketplace — for insurance.

"I think a lot of those employers, especially restaurants, are just going to ensure nobody gets scheduled more than 30 hours a week," said Matthew Snook, partner with human-resources consulting company Mercer.

Darden said its goal at the test restaurants is to keep employees at 28 hours a week.

Analysts said limiting hours could pose new challenges, including higher turnover and less-qualified workers.
"It's a real problem for restaurants," said Howard Penney, a restaurant analyst and managing director for Hedgeye Risk Management.

Darden, the world's largest casual-dining company and one of the nation's 30 largest employers, said it offers health insurance to all its approximately 185,000 employees. Many are offered a limited-benefit plan. That type of coverage is being phased out under health-care changes, which will ban annual limits for most plans.

About 25 percent of Darden workers are full time, meaning they work more than 30 hours a week. Though employees say Darden already offers traditional health insurance to full-timers, Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski said the cost of providing that could become higher for Darden under the Affordable Care Act. Because that law requires everyone to have health insurance, more workers will likely choose its coverage, Kalinowski said.

"Even a modest jump up in the amount of employees that decide they want the insurance you're offering could have a meaningful impact on your bottom line," he said.

Under the system Darden is testing, employees are to be scheduled for no more than 28 hours each week. They can run over that if things get busy, but Darden acknowledged they are not supposed to exceed 30 hours.

At a new Olive Garden in Stillwater, Okla., former busboy Keaton Hasty said employees were routinely limited to 29 1/2 hours.

"It was 29 1/2, and they'd kick you out," said Hasty, a college student who now works at a pharmacy. "They'd always print off a little slip every day and say who was getting close."

And Michael Walker said when he applied for a job at a new Olive Garden in Hammond, La., he was told that except for a few "key training positions," only part-time jobs were available for hourly workers.

"Without having full health care … I don't see that as an option," Walker said. He decided to stick with his current job at another restaurant.

Darden told analysts last year it would consider changing its mix of part-time and full-time employees to reduce costs.
Darden has been aggressively keeping labor costs down. It has cut bartenders' pay and required servers to share tips with them. It also has eliminated busboy positions at Red Lobster and reduced the number of servers working each shift at that chain.

Labor costs as a percentage of sales have dropped steadily from 33.1 percent in fiscal 2010 to 30.8 percent in the most recent quarter.

Darden Restaurants Orlando: Darden Restaurants part-time employment system in Orlando at some Red Lobster, Olive Garden - OrlandoSentinel.com

Also
Who is Darden Restaurants? - * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **Dignity at Darden

Michelle Obama announces partnership with Darden Restaurants

he Darden restaurant chain has pledged to cut their calorie and sodium content by 20 percent and will offer heartier food options on their children's menu with a new partnership with Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign.

First Lady Michelle Obama and chef Julie Elkinton greet Alaysia (L), 5, and Aniyha Smothers, 9, as they eat at an event where Obama announced a new partnership between Darden Restaurants and her Lets Move! Campaign at an Olive Garden restaurant in Hayattsville, Maryland on September 15, 2011. The Restaurant chain has pledged to cut their calorie and sodium content by 20% and will offer heartier food options on their children's menu. UPI/Kevin Dietsch


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Read more: Michelle Obama announces partnership with Darden Restaurants - UPI.com

Olive Garden Apologizes After Staff Refuses to Let Patron Display American Flag Veteran's Political Arena Forums
	Published October 13, 2011 Controversy over an Alabama Olive Garden's refusal to allow a patron to enter with an American flag reportedly has prompted the restaurant chain to issue a personal apology from its vice president. The patron, 80-year-old Marti Warren, told MyFoxAl.com she was outraged after being told she could not bring the flag into the restaurant to attend a Kiwanis Club award banquet. "This is not my country. This is not my country I grew up with," Warren said, adding that she and the club then contacted Olive Garden's parent company, Darden Olive Garden has issued public statements apologizing, including on its Facebook page. "We are very sorry for any misunderstanding about this issue," the Facebook post reads. "We do not have a policy at Olive Garden concerning bringing the American flag into our restaurants. Some members of our team were misinformed about company policy by our corporate office. As a company, we take responsibility for that and we regret it. ... "Like all Americans we have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the American flag and everything it symbolizes, and we welcome anyone who wishes to bring the flag into our restaurants. In fact, we periodically provide American flag collar pins to our employees to wear while serving guests." Warren, who said the denial felt as though she "had been slapped in the face," also reportedly was told she couldn't bring the Golden K Kiwanis club's banner into the dining room. She said she would have taken the group somewhere else if she had know this would happen. The club reportedly said the Pledge of Allegiance under guidance with their eyes closed so that they could picture the flag waving in the wind. Warren said the vice president of the company has contacted her to apologize and will travel to Oxford, Ala., to apologize to all the Golden K Kiwanis Club members, MyFoxAl.com reports. Olive Garden Apologizes After Staff Refuses to Let Patron Display American Flag in General Discussion Forum