Darden Restaurants reported stronger-than-expected sales and earnings growth in its most-recent quarter that slightly beat analysts' estimates. The Orlando-based company reported that same-store sales increased 6.9% at Olive Garden and 6.7% at LongHorn Steakhouse, which both beat analysts' expectations. Across the company's 11 brands, same-restaurant sales rose 4.6%. The company, not surprisingly, credits its model for its success. Rick Cardenas, Darden's president and CEO, said the company has been "very prudent" in keeping its price changes below inflation. "What we believe is happening right now in the casual dining space is our consumers are figuring out that casual dining is a great value," he said Friday on a call with Wall Street analysts. "Consumers want to go out and spend their hard-earned money, and we think we're taking some wallet share from fast food and fast casual."