Melinda Anderson

Melinda Anderson is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. In this role, she leads teams responsible for training, development, staffing and employee relations. Melinda also played a crucial role in the integration of Cheddar’s into Darden along with multiple franchise acquisitions over the last several years.

Melinda began her Darden career in 1994 as an hourly team member at Olive Garden and later moved into a restaurant manager role where she developed her passion for human resources. Melinda is a human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience who has led teams in many areas of the HR function at several brands including Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

Melinda has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Rollins College.