Leadership in casual dining industry and a long history of success in the restaurant industry; Sound financial position and consistent profitability; and Consistent cash flows and good credit protection measures. Participation in the highly competitive restaurant industry. The ratings on Orlando-based Darden Restaurants Inc. reflect Standard&Poor's Ratings Services' expectations that the company's revenue and operating performance will improve modestly in 2011 as demand in the casual dining industry continues to stabilize. We also believe that credit metrics will remain in line with our expectations for the ratings, including debt to EBITDA at around 2x. We view Darden's business risk profile as satisfactory, based on the company's general outperformance as compared to the rest of the casual dining restaurant
