Krowd Darden

Krowd Darden is the system used by Darden Restaurants to allow better access to features and information for their employees. The system is available as a web portal that can be accessed in a browser and as a smartphone app for convenient access.

About Krowd Darden And What It Offers

Many of us may not have heard of Darden Restaurants, and probably don’t recall going to a restaurant named like that! Well, Darden Restaurants is the largest full-service restaurant company in the world and has a huge footprint across several countries in the Americas, though it’s especially popular in the USA!

Darden Restaurants Inc. is a multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns a portfolio of popular brands and restaurants. Though you may not have heard of Darden, you will certainly have heard of and visited at least one of the companies in their portfolio.

The brands under Darden Restaurants portfolio include:

  • Olive Garden
  • LongHorn Steakhouse
  • Bahama Breeze
  • Seasons 52
  • Yard House 
  • Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
  • Ruth’s Chris Steak House
  • Eddie V’s 
  • The Capital Grille

The last three brands in this list are considered fine dining restaurants, while the others are casual restaurants. As you can guess, Olive Garden is the most recognizable brand, though the others too are fairly well-known and successful brands.

Darden also owned another well-known brand – Red Lobster. However, this brand was sold to Golden Gate Capital in 2014. Red Lobster chain of restaurants is currently owned by Thai Union Group.

Coming back to topic, Darden Restaurants has more than 1800 locations and more than 175,000 employees. Managing all the brands, locations, and employees obviously isn’t an easy task. 

However, technology provides some solutions that can make this complex job somewhat easier to handle. In this case, the solution is the Krowd Darden system.

Krowd Darden offers employees a way to stay updated with information and some necessities of their work. This includes company news, a way to view schedules, possibility of posting and swapping shifts, viewing paychecks and benefits, getting real-time notifications, and a few other features. 

Clearly, the system has its uses and is often seen as a necessity for many locations and people. However, it is worth mentioning that the Krowd Darden system or app is not available at all Darden locations. 

Although the company makes the system available to all locations, some may choose not to participate due to local or management concerns, or similar reasons. Thus, many features of the app may not be accessible to everyone working in the Darden portfolio of restaurants or businesses.

krowd darden LOGIN

Accessing Krowd Darden – Browser And App

The Krowd Darden system is available for access online in two most common ways. If you’re on a computer, you can use a web browser to access the system. Darden Restaurants Inc. also makes the app available on the PlayStore for Android. 

Interestingly, or rather surprisingly, no app is available for the AppStore (iOS) or those who use Apple tablets or phones. That’s quite a let down, considering thousands of Darden’s employees use Apple devices. However, people with Apple phones or tablets should still be able to access the system by using the browser on their device.

Logging In To Krowd Darden Using A Computer Or Browser

To access Krowd Darden through a computer, you’ll need access to the internet or a compatible browser. Most modern browsers are compatible with the system, so just make sure that the device and browser you’re using is fully updated. 

There might be problems if you’re using a very old device or a browser that hasn’t been updated in a long time. However, these situations are rare and most people should be able to access the system even with their phone browser. In fact, many Apple device (iphone or iPad) users employ the browser to access Krowd Darden.

To access the system, start by typing in the web address of Krowd Darden into the browser. In most cases, simply entering krowd.darden.com should do the trick. 

This redirects to krowdweb.darden.com often with some other changes to reach the associate portal. Alternatively, you can click this link to reach the Krowd Darden portal.

Once at the portal, you will be prompted to enter your username and password. After entering your username and password, click on the login button and you will be taken to the Krowd system. 

Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Visit the Krowd login page
  • Enter your username and password
  • Access the Krowd portal

Login Requirements For First Time Users

The method mentioned here works for people who already have a username and password. However, new employees may not have these details yet. 

To access Krowd Daden, essentially, you will first have to register for Krowd Darden. This is best handled through your restaurant. In doing so, you can also ensure that your place of work is connected to the Krowd Darden system.

Once the process is completed through the restaurant, you will receive a UserID and password. In some cases, the restaurant might send you an email when hiring you, and this email might include a temporary userID and password to complete onboarding.

As the onboarding is complete, you will receive (or create) a new ID, while also creating a new password to access the system.

The process can vary depending on the portfolio restaurant you’re working for, so it’s best to confirm with your work location on how best to proceed.

Installing The Krowd App (Darden Employee Portal) On Your Phone

As of now, Krowd Darden app is only available for Android through the PlayStore. It is not available for iOS devices (Apple). Although there are some workarounds available on the internet, iOS users might be better served by accessing the portal through a web browser, rather than installing unverified apps.

Here is how Android users can download the app:

  • Open the PlayStore
  • Search for “Darden Employee Portal” (or click here) – the app has the KrowD logo, even though it’s now called the Darden Employee Portal
  • Install the app

It’s worth pointing out that Darden also has another app on the PlayStore, which is the old Krowd app. This old app is no longer maintained and hasn’t been updated since 2019. You will be better served installing the new app.

After you’ve installed the app, tap on the app icon to open it. You will be asked to enter your username and password. After you enter these details, tap on the login button to access the Krowd Darden app.

Problems And Troubleshooting With The Krowd App

Though useful for employees of Darden Restaurants portfolio, Krowd Darden is not a very robust system. The app especially is problematic and often doesn’t work as intended. 

Often, the app can make users struggle with the most basic of things, including logging in to the app! Occasionally, users are trapped in a cycle where the app continues to ask for login information, even after it has been entered. 

Sometimes, the app might keep processing or turning the blue circle endlessly, without showing any results.

Glitches can show up in the shift system or the messaging system, or other parts of the app.

Overall, this isn’t a very robust or reliable system. Force quitting and restarting the app can help. You might occasionally also feel the need to reinstall the app.

Overall, using the Krowd Darden app may not be a very pleasant experience for many, even if it’s a useful necessity. Really, it’s odd that a business with the resources of Darden Inc. can’t create a stable app that’s useful for employees. 

Many had hoped that reliability would improve with the launch of the new app. However, that isn’t the case and accessing the app continues to be a problem.

Other than the behavior of the app, there might be some other issues worth looking into for troubleshooting. Some of these are:

  • Check your device has a stable and good internet connection
  • Make sure that the app and the device are fully updated
  • Clearing the cookies and restarting the browser might help in some cases

If the problem is persistent or you can’t access the Krowd Darden system at all, it might be best to talk to your supervisor or manager at work and see if a workaround or solution is possible.

Conclusion

Overall, we can say that Krowd Darden is a system designed for the convenience of the thousands of employees of Darden Restaurants Inc. The system offers some excellent features like:

  • Company news
  • Giving employees the freedom to manage their profiles
  • Communication with other employees
  • Checking and accessing payment receipts (paychecks)
  • Changing or updating direct deposit details
  • Checking schedules, swapping shifts, managing shifts
  • See benefits
  • Other features.

The system is available on web browsers or through Android apps. While useful, the system isn’t exactly reliable and employees might occasionally have problems while accessing the app or utilizing its features.

Sources:

https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-access-the-Olive-Garden-Krowd-Darden-login-portal-online

https://krowdweb.darden.com/krowd/prd/siteminder/login_aa.asp?TYPE=33554433&REALMOID=06-918f5c77-d475-4ec7-9360-482fef7e698b&GUID=&SMAUTHREASON=0&METHOD=GET&SMAGENTNAME=-SM-LOG13DUEImGuYrdflrOtZQg%2fn6D1bmWqj8asUhwZ%2fq0IFEFIKmOZdUnhd5D8fCuC&TARGET=-SM-https%3a%2f%2fkrowdweb%2edarden%2ecom%2faffiliates%2fkrowdext%2fkrowdextaccess%2easp