EXHIBIT 99.3


Press Release dated September 21, 2000, of Darden Restaurants, Inc.


                        BAHAMA BREEZE NAMES ALAN PALMIERI
                     EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

ORLANDO,  FL - Alan Palmieri has been promoted to Executive  Vice President
of Operations for Bahama Breeze,  an upscale  Caribbean casual dining restaurant
company owned and operated by Darden Restaurants,  Inc. He was previously Senior
Vice President, Operations Development for Red Lobster, another Darden brand.

Reporting  to  Bahama  Breeze  President  Gary  Heckel,  Palmieri  will  be
responsible for overseeing  operations at the company's 14 existing  restaurants
and at all new  restaurants as Bahama Breeze expands  nationally.  The company's
Regional Vice  Presidents of Operations,  Burt Guirado and Buck  Warfield,  will
report to Palmieri.

"We are  delighted  that Alan is joining  the  Bahama  Breeze  team,"  said
Heckel.  "He  brings  an  incredibly   accomplished   background  in  restaurant
operations  and will help us achieve our vision of  building a great  company of
upscale  Caribbean  restaurants with a reputation for excellent team members,  a
memorable  two-hour  island  vacation  experience  for every guest,  every time,
outstanding returns and a great place to work."

As Senior Vice President, Operations Development for Red Lobster during the
past 2-1/2 years,  Palmieri was  responsible for leading several brand evolution
initiatives,  including bar remodels,  test restaurants and markets,  as well as
developing  a new Red Lobster  prototype.  He was also  responsible  for leading
significant improvements in guest counts and earnings for Red Lobster Canada.

Before  joining Red Lobster,  Palmieri was  President and CEO of a 100-unit
Boston  Market  franchise.  Prior to that he  spent  four  years  at the  Denver
headquarters  of Boston Chicken as Vice President of Franchise  Operations,  and
later as Senior Vice President of Operations.  Before joining Boston Chicken, he
was President and COO of Bay Street  Restaurants in Dallas, TX. Palmieri started
his  restaurant  career as an hourly  employee in a  Pittsburgh  Steak & Ale and
advanced through assignments in operations,  training, research and development,
and purchasing at the company's Dallas headquarters.

Rated  "excellent"  in both the 1999 and 2000 Zagat  Dining  guide,  Bahama
Breeze   offers   a   "two-hour   island   vacation"    experience,    featuring
made-from-scratch  Caribbean cuisine,  a large array of unique  freshly-prepared
beverages, live music and incredible service.

Darden  Restaurants,  in Orlando,  FL, is the world's largest casual dining
company, with 1,138 restaurants  operating under the Red Lobster,  Olive Garden,
Bahama Breeze and Smokey Bones brands, and annual sales of over $3.7 billion.

                                       9