Bradley Smith

President, International & Franchising at Darden Restaurants

Speaker

Brad Smith was named President, International & Franchising in May 2024. In this role, Brad is responsible for international operations and franchise strategy, development and execution.

Brad is a seasoned restaurant executive with nearly 40 years of experience leading diverse restaurant segments in domestic and international companies. He began his career with Red Lobster in San Antonio, Texas transferring to Olive Garden shortly thereafter. After that, he held various positions of increasing responsibility for Johnny Carino’s Country Italian restaurants, including Regional Operations Manager and International Director of Operations. In 2002, he joined Tony Roma’s as Senior Director of Operations. Over the next 14 years, he served as Vice President of Franchise Operations, Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations and Training, and ultimately Chief Operating Officer.

In 2017, Brad joined Darden as Vice President of International Development before progressing to his previous role as Senior Vice President of Global Franchising where he was responsible for all nontraditional Darden restaurants including US airport locations and all international franchising.