Darden Restaurants, Inc.
Explore Darden Restaurants
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
Explore Darden Restaurants
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Founders
Bill Darden, General Mills · Founded 1938 · Orlando, Florida
Quick Answer
Darden Restaurants was founded by Bill Darden, General Mills in 1938 in Orlando, Florida. The company is currently led by Ricardo Cardenas.
Bill Darden opened The Green Frog in Georgia in 1938 and later founded Red Lobster in 1968. General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970, launched Olive Garden in 1982, and spun off Darden Restaurants as an independent public company in 1995.
Ricardo Cardenas
President and Chief Executive Officer
Leads Darden through portfolio expansion, Chuy's integration, restaurant development, and operating discipline across casual and fine-dining brands.
Gene Lee
Former Chief Executive Officer
Led Darden after the Red Lobster sale and strengthened the company's focus on core full-service restaurant operations.
Clarence Otis Jr.
Former Chief Executive Officer
Oversaw expansion and portfolio changes during a period that included Yard House, Eddie V's, and LongHorn integration.
Darden traces its founder story to Bill Darden, who opened The Green Frog in 1938 and later founded Red Lobster.
General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970, launched Olive Garden in 1982, and spun off Darden Restaurants in 1995.
Darden Restaurants became an independent public company in 1995.
The founding story explains why Darden's identity is built around full-service restaurant operations, brand building, and hospitality scale.