1. Read the supporting article and provide detailed answers to the case questions below.

In 1968, a restaurant entrepreneur took a gamble on a new seafood restaurant concept in Lakeland, Florida. He was already in his mid-fifties, but Bill Darden decided to roll the dice at a time when most other men his age were looking toward retirement.

The gamble paid off — more than Darden could ever have imagined. His single seafood restaurant Red Lobster has since grown to become the largest seafood restaurant company in North America, with more than 800 restaurants in forty-nine states and Canada.

Darden's restaurant career began in the 1930s in a tiny southern Geor­gia town called Waycross. It was there that nineteen-year old Darden oper­ated a small lunch counter called The Green Frog, where he served as man­ager, night cook, waiter, and counter server. As he saved money from The Green Frog, he began to acquire other restaurants in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. In 1963, Darden and his partners bought an Orlando landmark, Gary's Duck Inn, a popular seafood restaurant.

It was so popular that Darden began to think about expanding the concept — creating a no-frills seafood restaurant that offered fast, effi­cient service. He collected several investors, hired an ad agency, and, as they say, the rest is history.

One constant in Red Lobster's, twenty-five years of consistent growth and success has been change. Keeping pace with the ever-changing ex­pectations of the dining-out public. North America's largest full-service seafood restaurant company continues to look for new ways to assure quality and value for its guests.

Innovative menu additions, enhanced service, and new, contempo­rary decor are recent examples of Red Lobster's commitment to not only meet, but also exceed, guest expectations.

This year, Red Lobster expects to serve more than 80 million pounds of seafood to more than 150 million guests. With over 729 restaurants in the United States and more than fifty in Canada, the company achieved sales in excess of $1.9 billion in fiscal year 1996.

(to be continued)

Vocabulary notes

corporate profile зд. портрет фирмы

entrepreneur предприниматель

took a gamble пойти на риск

seafood морепродукты

he was in his mid-fifties зд. ему уже было далеко за пятьдесят

to roll the dice бросать кости наудачу; рисковать чем-либо

to pay off окупаться, оправдывать затраты

to imagine представлять себе, воображать

waiter официант

lunch counter буфет, буфетная стойка

to acquire приобретать в собственность

frills (pi.} ненужные украшения, вычурные излише­ства

ad agency рекламное агентство

consistent growth неуклонный рост

to keep pace (with smth.) идти в ногу (с чем-либо); не отставать (от чего-либо)

dining-out public люди, которые едят вне дома

enhanced усовершенствованный, отточенный

contemporary современный

decor обстановка, интерьер

to exceed превосходить, превышать

pound фунт = 453,6 грамма

fiscal year финансовый год

Case questions:

1. What did Bill Darden do for a living in 1968?

2. What did Bill Darden take a gamble on when he was in his mid-fifties? What for?

3. Where did Darden open a new seafood restaurant concept?

4. Did the gamble pay off?

5. When did Darden's restaurant career begin?

6. What is the main constant in Red Lobster's twenty-five years of consistent growth and success?

7. How many restaurants in the United States and in Canada does the company possess now?

Role-play:

Pretend you have just found out that customers of your cafe get dis­satisfied with the service skills of your waiters. Besides, the menus are not to the liking of your guests. You have made up your mind to take a gam­ble on a new steak and fish restaurant concept.

While making a final decision consider the following issues:

• you are already in your mid-thirties;

• the starting capital will be hard to raise;

• you are not sure the gamble will pay off;

• your restaurant career began ten years ago;

• you have become an experienced restaurateur;

• you have saved some money from your cafe;

• you are planning to keep pace with the ever-changing expecta­tions of the dining-out public.