Darden Restaurants, the full-service restaurant company based in Orlando, Fla., honored 11 companies with its William B. Darden Distinguished Supplier Awards for 2010.
The honorees are:
• The Coca-Cola Co. in Atlanta, for its product development work with Darden brands and its support of LongHorn Steakhouse through its “Live at LongHorn” music program.
• Nestlé Professional in Rogers, Minn., for its work with Olive Garden and LongHorn culinary teams on sauces for new menu items.
• ESKCO, Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, for creating menu covers and cocktail menus for Seasons 52 restaurants.
• Pilgrim’s Pride in Pittsburg, Texas, for its work with the LongHorn culinary team.
• Windsor Foods in Houston, for helping Olive Garden develop its Pansotti pasta.
• The Boston Beer Co. Inc. in Boston, for its efforts during the introduction of Sam Adams Boston Lager in Red Lobster restaurants and the development of a signature beer glass featuring the Red Lobster logo.
• C.H. Guenther & Son Inc. in San Antonio, for its help with Red Lobster’s transition to trans-fat-free Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
• Hallvard Leroy AS in Norway, for its high level of service, collaboration and responsiveness in adjusting production and marketing processes to become a strategic supplier of Norwegian salmon.
• Florida Stainless Fabricators Inc. in Oviedo, Fla., for helping Bahama Breeze’s culinary and operations teams redesign the kitchen layout in the brand’s new restaurant prototype.
• Lotito Foods Inc. in Edison, N.J., for its outstanding support of all Darden concepts, including new product ideas.
• MBM Corp.’s Riverside, Calif., operation as Distribution Center of the Year for 2010.
The awards program, which is named for the company’s late founder, recognizes suppliers who “go above and beyond” by providing innovative products and services that contribute to Darden’s success.
Darden is the operator of 1,824 restaurants under its various casual-dining brands.