Darden Restaurants Appoints JJ Buettgen Senior Vice President of Business Development

ORLANDO, Fla., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Darden Restaurants, Inc. today announced the appointment of JJ Buettgen as senior vice president of Business Development.

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As a member of the Darden Executive team, Mr. Buettgen will have responsibility for positioning the company to take advantage of growth opportunities, both through acquisition and organic growth of existing brands. His background and capabilities will ensure that growth opportunities are identified and prioritized through a powerful consumer and competitive insight capability.

Buettgen was previously president of the company's Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill operating company.

"JJ is a talented and thoughtful leader who has broad experience and a deep understanding of Darden's strategic framework," said company Chairman and CEO Clarence Otis, to whom Buettgen will report. "As we continue to evaluate emerging casual dining concepts for long-term potential, JJ's background in consumer insights and brand management are critical business development skills that will help Darden meet its growth goals."

Buettgen held various marketing posts with Darden Restaurants' former parent company, General Mills, from 1989 through 1994. He joined Olive Garden in 1994 as director of Marketing. As Olive Garden's senior vice president of Marketing, Buettgen was part of a leadership team that helped engineer one of the most impressive turnarounds in the restaurant industry. He was recognized by Advertising Age as one of the "Marketing 100" in 1998 for developing the Olive Garden's "Hospitaliano!" campaign.

In 2004 Buettgen returned to Darden as president of Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill, where he led an effort to transform Smokey Bones into a more broadly appealing brand to become more relevant for additional dining occasions.

In addition to various posts with Darden Restaurants, Buettgen joined Hollywood Entertainment Group as senior vice president of Marketing for the video retailer in 1998 and went to Disneyland Resorts as senior vice president of Marketing and Sales from 1999 to 2002, helping to launch Disney's California Adventure theme park. He was president of Big Bowl Asian Kitchen, a casual dining company owned by Brinker International, and senior vice president of Marketing and Brand Development for Brinker from 2002 to 2004.

A Chicago native, Buettgen graduated with an MBA in marketing management from the University of California at Los Angeles and a BS in finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is also a former professional hockey player with the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins.

Darden, headquartered in Orlando, FL, owns and operates about 1,400 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones, and Seasons 52(R) restaurants. The company is the 25th largest employer in the United States with nearly 160,000 employees. It is also the world's largest casual dining company with $5.7 billion in annual sales.