Although electric vehicles are expected to eat into combustion vehicle sales eventually, a top Ford executive projected “strong U.S. ICE and hybrid sales well into the next decade.”
Christopher Johnson keeps a photo album of many of the Olive Garden customers he has served over the decades.
There are pictures of Walt and Caroline, who knew Johnson from his first stint with the Orlando-based chain that began in the 1990s. They were there his first day back when he returned to work for Olive Garden a second time in 2003.
They would always get the tiramisu, Johnson remembers, and while he said Caroline has since passed away, Walt, now in his 90s, still dines at the restaurant with his son.
“He still has the same soup and salad, Zuppa Toscana,” Johnson said. “He doesn’t do his dessert anymore, but he always tells me, ‘Make sure you give me a good scoop [of soup].’ But that’s my friend.”
At a time when restaurants have struggled to keep and hire employees amid the “Great Resignation,” Johnson’s loyalty to Olive Garden, and his regulars’ loyalty to him, is paying off for the chain’s Orlando owner, Darden Restaurants.
Darden’s retention levels are higher than the industry average, spokeswoman Lauren Bowes said, but she could not provide specifics ahead of next month’s earnings call. She said it’s not unusual to walk into any one of their restaurants, where servers make an average hourly wage of $25.46, and find long-tenured staffers. Darden has 180,000 employees.
Automotive Newshas reported that the Escalade IQ is expected in 2024 and may be built at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Detroit.
Memorial Day weekend travelers should see favorable prices at the pump as gas prices continue downward.
On Sunday, the state average for a gallon of gas was $3.41, with some customers paying in the $3.20s or lower, according to a press release from AAA.
The continued drop comes as more than 2.1 million Floridians prepare for road trips on Memorial Day weekend, AAA forecasted.
“It’s looking like Florida drivers will spend a dollar per gallon less for gasoline than they did last Memorial Day weekend,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group.
The most expensive metro markets for gas are West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.66), Naples ($3.55) and Miami ($3.52).
The least expensive metro markets for gas are Panama City ($3.14), Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.16) and Pensacola ($3.22).
The deal with the Canadian lithium company comes as North American automakers race to secure supplies of battery materials to boost EV output.