EXHIBIT 99.4

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

                    DARDEN RESTAURANTS PROMOTES LAURIE BURNS
                      TO SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT

ORLANDO,  FL - Laurie  Burns has been  promoted to Senior  Vice  President,
Development  for  Darden  Restaurants,  Inc.,  and has  been  named a  corporate
officer,  joining the company's Executive Management Team. She previously served
as Vice President,  Development  for Red Lobster,  one of Darden's casual dining
restaurant brands.  The company also owns and operates the Olive Garden,  Bahama
Breeze and Smokey Bones brands.

Reporting to Darden  Chairman and CEO Joe Lee, Burns will lead the critical
areas of Real Estate, Market Development, Asset Management, Restaurant Remodels,
Facilities and Property Services for all of Darden Restaurants. In addition, Red
Lobster  Development  will  continue to report to Burns until her  successor  is
named.

"This promotion reflects Laurie's outstanding  contributions to Red Lobster
for all  development  activities,  including  Market  Development,  Real Estate,
Design and Construction,  the Bar Remodel Program, the revitalization  effort in
target markets and quality  facilities  maintenance,"  said Lee. "Laurie and her
team lived the promise for Red Lobster,  achieving all new and remodeled opening
goals and delivering 85 bar remodels.

"She's  a  proven  leader  and  her  wealth  of  experience  in  restaurant
development  makes  her  perfectly  suited  to work  closely  with  our  company
presidents  to accelerate  the  development  of better  sites,  state-of-the-art
design and prototypes at favorable costs.  These areas are especially  important
as we start to more  aggressively  grow our brands  and  remodel  more  existing
restaurants," Lee added.

Burns has nearly 15 years of experience in all phases of  development.  She
joined Red  Lobster  in 1999 from  Homestead  Village,  an  extended-stay  hotel
company.  Prior to that she was  Director of Real Estate for Apple South for two
years and spent eight years in various development positions at Taco Bell.

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.


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