Darden Restaurants – A sweet deal with the Obamas

Last week I wrote about the Olive Garden restaurant in Alabama (Call Darden) that refused to allow the U.S. flag to be displayed in its dining room where a Kiwanis Club awards banquet was planned. Claiming it would disrupt the dining experience of the other customers, the event organizer was told by a restaurant employee that she couldn’t bring the flag inside.

Since then, Darden Restaurants Inc., owner of Olive Garden and several other chain eateries, offered an explanation and apology, saying the whole affair was a misjudgement on the part of the restaurant employee involved.

The incident spawned a plethora of public comments, with a number of customers regretfully saying they would not eat at a Darden restaurant again, despite their affection for Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc.

Now, recall that Darden’s CEO did a publicity event with First Lady Michelle Obama back in September to announce that Darden Restaurants were on board with her ‘fight fat’ campaign, or whatever it’s called. Let’s just say it’s Mama Obama’s intention to tell Americans what they can and cannot do.

Obamafoodarama reported: “This is a breakthrough moment in the restaurant industry,” First Lady Michelle Obama declared on Thursday morning as she joined Darden Restaurants, Inc. CEO Clarence Otis, Jr. to announce a major new commitment to support the Let’s Move! campaign. Standing in the wood paneled dining room of an Olive Garden restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland, filled with parents and kids seated at dinner tables, Mrs. Obama hailed Darden’s plan as visionary.”

Darden Restaurants Inc., which includes Longhorn Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, and Seasons 52, is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company’s Chairman and CEO is Clarence Otis, Jr.

So fast forward to this morning, when in response to my post, someone left a comment, someone who obviously prefers to remain anonymous as the WordPress blogsite he or she listed is non-existent. I suspect the writer is an Orlando area resident, someone with knowledge of Obama’s arrival and the details involved. The author used the name quiscustodietipsoscustodesnow. Ring a bell?

So, I’ll report… you decide. Here’s what the comment read:

Here is the link between OBAMA and DARDEN. The CEO of Darden is a huge Obama supporter (he is African-American but he did donate money to McCain as well). He was supporting both parties but switched a majority of his money to Obama when Obama surged in the polls and then won the election.

Supposedly he almost took a job in Obama’s administration. The company just finished ‘catering’ to Michelle Obama’s nutrition policy and now you will eventually have to get parent’s ‘permission’ to order fried at their restaurants.

The company constantly meets with people from D.C. about policies. I cannot confirm this, but Darden is now exempt from the Healthcare law.

It took me just a couple of clicks to find out that I CAN confirm it. See Michelle Malkin’s post “A fun fact about Michelle Obama’s chummy fries police”. Ok, continuing with the comment…

Obama just flew into Orlando on Tuesday, October 11 and used the Darden hangar to park Air Force 1. Obama then met with fundraisers and went to the local Ambulance Chaser Attorney (guy on the back of the YELLOW PAGES) owner’s house and to promised no MORE TORT reform in order to PROTECT the people. (He meant protect the wallets of the attorneys so they can sue without a Cap).

The “ambulance chaser” the commenter refers to is Morgan and Morgan, “For the People”, a huge, high volume law firm that hires intake caseworkers to handle the volume of calls that light up “For the People’s” switchboard every time his TV commercials air, a constant rotation on just about every TV station in Florida and the southeast. Headed by marketing genius attorney John Morgan, (who has reportedly never litigated a case) a well-known and influential fixture in Florida’s Democrat politics, Morgan kept a spot warm for former Governor Charlie Crist when voters overwhelmingly rejected him at the polls in the 2010 race for U.S. Senate, a seat now held by Marco Rubio.  Got all that?  OK, back to quiscustodietipsoscustodesnow:

Obama supports lawyers that do not want TORT REFORM for it would cap the limit on lawsuits.

On a side note, this president barged off Air Force 1 into the crowd (without security) and shook hands with the crowd when he landed. It is noted that he never did this before and some internal people made a comment that “He must be in election mode for they have never seen him be this cordial and is known for not being cordial ‘only when he has too’ in front of the cameras’.

I personally like Darden Restaurants although it now has a Cloudy HAZE of pure liberalism hanging all over it. This will affect their revenues into the millions. Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahamas Breeze, Capital Grille and others.

You think?  And another thing… It kinda makes me wonder why a Darden employee — specifically one who called the shots at an Alabama Olive Garden, would feel completely comfortable telling a customer that the U.S. flag was not welcome in the establishment. Doesn’t it lead you to wonder what the underlying corporate mindset is?

But of course, Darden Restaurants hurriedly apologized last week when it hit the fan, assuring its customers that they welcome the flag in their establishments, and even occasionally give their employees flag lapel pins to wear.  The same employees who got a special waiver from Obamacare cuz the Big Boss is “in” with the Obamas.  You know, the Obamas?  The ones who hold their hands at crotch level when everyone else is holding theirs across their hearts at the pledge to said flag?  Or whisper “All this for a flag?” at the 9-11 Remembrance ceremony.

Yeah, those Obamas.

Of course.