In Darden's Aug. 4 presentation, it said Red Lobster "was expected to have less than $100 million of ebitda as of the transaction close." Darden went on to say that "given deteriorating trends at Red Lobster and multiple turnaround attempts, the divestiture is projected to be medium and long-term accretive." The difference in outlooks is critical because a higher level of ebitda would likely mean a greater contribution to Darden's profits if Red Lobster had remained part of the company.