That failure since opening in 1999, the restaurant has lost undisclosed millions of dollars plus the Street's sudden scorn for theme chains, battered the stock to a low of $1.75 in October 1998.
Since its spin-off, Darden has also created a barbecue and sports bar-themed restaurant group called Smokey Bones, a Caribbean-themed chain called Bahama Breeze, and a higher-end group of restaurants called Seasons 52.
WHEN Beauty Bar, the kitschy salon-themed chain, first ventured into Brooklyn in 2009, it landed on a gnarly patch of Bushwick.
In January, the Asian-themed chain of night spots (with its flagship in Paris) opened a restaurant-bar-cafe-hotel in the heart of Prague's Old Town.
An online petition begun last week in response to the revelation, calling on the Latin American-themed chain to abandon the practice and let staff keep their tips, had yesterday attracted more than 50,000 signatures on the 38degrees website.
The Polynesian-themed chain was established by Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, Calif., in the 1960's, in an attempt to rescue his convenience stores after 7-Eleven came to town.
The company also operates On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, a Mexican-themed chain, with 160 locations, and Maggiano's Little Italy.
The design company, Wrench, claims the Mexican-themed chain stole its idea for an advertising campaign based on a talking Chihuahua.
Restaurants in the Mexican-themed chain are also shelling out $16 million more a year for better-quality beef, tortillas and beans.
Even so, traffic and sales declined at the Chinese-themed chain; the strong results came as a result of cost-cutting.
