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Darden Restaurants, Inc.

Full-service restaurants and casual diningFounded 1938
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Darden Restaurants?

Bill Darden, General Mills · Founded 1938 · HQ today: Orlando, Florida

Who founded Darden Restaurants?

Darden Restaurants was founded by Bill Darden, General Mills in 1938. It is now led by Rick Cardenas.

Founders
Bill Darden, General Mills
Founded
1938
Headquarters
Orlando, Florida
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Rick Cardenas (since 2022)
Where was Darden Restaurants founded?
Darden Restaurants was founded in Orlando, Florida in 1938.
When was Darden Restaurants founded?
Darden Restaurants was founded in 1938.
Who started Darden Restaurants?
Darden Restaurants was founded by Bill Darden and General Mills.
How old is Darden Restaurants?
Darden Restaurants is 88 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Bill Darden opened his first restaurant, The Green Frog, in Waycross, Georgia, in 1938 at age 19. Thirty years later, in 1968, he opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida, betting that inland middle-class families wanted affordable seafood in a casual setting. General Mills bought Red Lobster in 1970 and kept Darden involved as it expanded the chain nationally. General Mills opened the first Olive Garden in Orlando in 1982, and in 1995 spun off its restaurant group as an independent public company named Darden Restaurants.

What each Darden Restaurants founder did

FounderRole at foundingContributionSource
Bill DardenFounder of the restaurant roots that led to DardenOpened The Green Frog in Waycross, Georgia, and later founded Red Lobster, the brand that eventually became the foundation for Darden Restaurants.—
General MillsCorporate parent before spin-offAcquired Red Lobster, launched Olive Garden in 1982, and spun off Darden Restaurants as an independent public company in 1995.en.wikipedia.org

Bill Darden

Background

Georgia-born restaurateur who ran restaurants from 1938 and founded Red Lobster in 1968.

Role at Darden Restaurants, Inc.

William 'Bill' Darden opened The Green Frog in Waycross, Georgia, in 1938 at age 19. In 1968 he opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida, offering seafood to middle-class families at casual-dining prices. General Mills bought Red Lobster in 1970 and kept Darden involved as it grew nationally. When General Mills spun off its restaurant group in 1995, the new public company was named Darden Restaurants in his honor. Bill Darden was born in 1918.

General Mills

Background

Minneapolis-based packaged-food company (Cheerios, Betty Crocker) that owned Darden's restaurants from 1970 to 1995.

Role at Darden Restaurants, Inc.

General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970 and used its capital to expand the chain nationally. It opened the first Olive Garden in Orlando in 1982. In 1995 it spun off the restaurant group to shareholders as Darden Restaurants, a separate NYSE-listed company. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Darden Restaurants, Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Rick Cardenas

Chief Executive Officer

2022 – Present

Under Cardenas, Darden's annual sales rose from $9.63 billion in FY2022 to $13.21 billion in FY2026, the restaurant count passed 2,200, and the company began exiting Bahama Breeze.

Raj Vennam

Chief Financial Officer

2021 – Present

As CFO, he manages the incredibly complex supply chain pricing and strict cost controls that allow Olive Garden to maintain high margins despite severe food inflation.

Gene Lee

Former CEO and Chairman

2015 – 2022

Lee is credited with Olive Garden's turnaround, bought Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen in 2017 and steered Darden through the COVID-19 dining-room closures before retiring as CEO in 2022.

Clarence Otis Jr.

Former CEO

2004 – 2014

He built the multi-brand platform Darden still uses, but stepped down in 2014 amid activist criticism over performance and the Red Lobster sale.

Keep researching Darden Restaurants

Who Founded Darden Restaurants? FAQ

Who was William (Bill) Darden and how did he found the company in 1968?

William (Bill) Darden opened his first restaurant, The Green Frog, in Waycross, Georgia, in 1938 at age 19. In 1968 he opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida, betting that inland families wanted affordable seafood.

How did General Mills acquire Red Lobster and establish Darden Restaurants?

General Mills bought Red Lobster in 1970 and kept Bill Darden involved as it expanded the chain. It launched Olive Garden in 1982 and spun off the restaurant group as Darden Restaurants in 1995.

How did the founders create and launch Olive Garden in 1982?

General Mills opened the first Olive Garden in Orlando, Florida, in December 1982. It became the largest Italian full-service restaurant chain in the U.S. and Darden's biggest brand.

Why is the company named Darden?

When General Mills spun off its restaurant business in 1995, it named the new public company Darden Restaurants in honor of Red Lobster founder Bill Darden.

When did Darden Restaurants complete its spin-off from General Mills and NYSE listing?

In May 1995 General Mills completed the spin-off of its restaurants to shareholders, creating Darden Restaurants, Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DRI.

Who founded LongHorn Steakhouse?

George McKerrow Jr. founded LongHorn Steaks in Atlanta in 1981. The chain later became part of RARE Hospitality, which Darden acquired in 2007.

Does Darden have a charitable foundation?

Yes. The Darden Foundation funds community nonprofits, and the Darden Harvest program, started in 2003, donates surplus food from its restaurants to local hunger-relief organizations.

Is Darden still connected to General Mills or Red Lobster?

No. Darden has been independent of General Mills since 1995, and it sold Red Lobster to Golden Gate Capital in 2014.

Who founded Darden Restaurants?

The company is named after Bill Darden. He was a brilliant restaurateur who opened the very first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida in 1968, proving that high-quality, affordable seafood could be mass-marketed to middle-class America.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.