One of the more interesting SEC filings I’ve gone through lately is that of Starboard Value, who is attempting to replace the board of directors of Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI).
I will warn you this is a 130 megabyte download, but a very educational one that makes me appreciate the complexity of operating a restaurant business (something I would never want to do).
One example is the following slide. Apparently they don’t put salt in the water they use to boil pasta because it will invalidate the warranty they have on their cooking pots. This is amazing to hear simply because anybody that has half a brain in the kitchen knows to salt the water that you cook pasta with. Not only does it marginally increase the temperature of the boiling water, but it imparts better flavour on the pasta itself.
I’ve been to an Olive Garden once in my life and never felt the need to ever return.