Clarence Otis, Jr.

2010 BCA Leadership Award Honoree

Clarence Otis, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
Orlando, FL

"Darden is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work. One of the many ways we do that is through our support of the arts. The sharing of artistic talent and heritage promotes cultural diversity and enhances the American story, serving as an inspiration for current and future generations."

- Clarence Otis, Jr.

Darden is the world's largest full-service restaurant company with annual sales of more than $7 billion. Through subsidiaries, Darden owns and operates 1,800 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, and Seasons 52 restaurants in North America; employs approximately 180,000 people; and serves 400 million meals annually. Clarence Otis joined the company in 1995 and was named CEO in 2004.  

Clarence Otis has been inspired by the arts since his childhood. He grew up in Los Angeles near the Watts Towers Arts Center which served as the hub for the Los Angeles black arts movement in the 1970s. The artists, painters, and actors who congregated at the Towers made Otis aware of the diversity of African-American art and culture. As a result of these early experiences, he understands the role the arts can play in encouraging diversity in the workplace and in the community.  

Darden Restaurants believes in supporting the community through grants, food donations, and employee volunteer time. Darden has made a $5 million commitment to help build the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center in downtown Orlando. The company also provides support to several Central Florida arts organizations as part of its Good Neighbor program: The Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre,  the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities, and the Mennello Museum of American Art.  

Clarence Otis and his wife, Jacqueline Bradley, have assembled a collection of works by black contemporary artists. The Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College featured art from their collection in 2007.  They are also supporters of the Studio Museum in Harlem and hosted a fundraising event for the Orlando Philharmonic and the Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation in their home.    

Darden employees generously donate nearly $100,000 annually to United Arts of Central Florida. Through its foundation, Darden matches these funds and makes additional cultural grants to United Arts and more than 20 cultural organizations, making Darden the largest corporate supporter of arts and culture in the region.