LONG TERM DEBT AND CAPITAL LEASES (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2011	Feb. 28, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 344,274,000	$ 307,248,000
Less current maturities	15,090,000	14,620,000
Long-term debt and capital leases, less current maturities	329,184,000	292,628,000
Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	177,000,000	155,000,000
Line of credit initiation date	2010-12-01
Revolving credit agreement (in years)	5Y
Revolving credit facility, borrowing capacity	320,000,000
Option to increase line of credit borrowing capacity, additional amount	50,000,000
Option to increase line of credit borrowing capacity, adjusted amount	370,000,000
Revolving credit facility borrowing rate		The interest rates charged on borrowings pursuant to the Credit Facility can vary depending on the interest rate option we choose to utilize. Our Base Rate for borrowings is defined to be the higher of Bank of America's prime rate, the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5%, or an adjusted LIBO Rate plus 1.00%, plus an applicable margin ranging from 0.25% to 1.25%. The applicable margin for our Eurodollar Borrowings ranges from 1.25% to 2.25%.
Line of credit facility, outstanding amount	177,000,000	155,000,000
Floating rate of interest (in hundredths)	2.27%	2.50%
Line of credit facility, remaining borrowing capacity		215,700,000
Maturity date of long-term debt		Dec. 01, 2015
Line of Credit [Member] | Line of Credit Amendment [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit initiation date		2011-07-19
Revolving credit facility, borrowing capacity		370,000,000
Option to increase line of credit borrowing capacity, additional amount		60,000,000
Option to increase line of credit borrowing capacity, adjusted amount		380,000,000
Increase to revolving commitments		380,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | SwingLine[Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility subcommitment agreement		40,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility subcommitment agreement		50,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | Franchise Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility subcommitment agreement		50,000,000
Series B Senior Notes due April 2013 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	44,442,000	44,442,000
Maturity date of long-term debt		Apr. 01, 2013
Issuance of notes payable		150,000,000
Interest rate of long-term debt (in hundredths)		7.17%
Mortgages [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	122,546,000	107,568,000
Maturity date range of debt, start		2011-12-31
Maturity date range of debt, end		2024-03-31
Range of loan balances, maximum		8,400,000
Interest rates of loans, minimum (in hundredths)		3.37%
Interest rates of loans, maximum (in hundredths)		11.28%
Capital Lease Obligations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 286,000	$ 238,000