In short: Named with Texas Roadhouse as sit-down names that "dramatically outperformed fast casual" over 60 days as diners seek value.
In short: Q4 revenue +14% to $3.7B ($10M miss), adj EPS $3.66 ($0.02 beat); same-restaurant sales +4.6% with positive traffic. New $1.5B buyback, dividend +8% to $1.62; $1.4B returned in FY26. LongHorn comps +9.5% vs Olive Garden +2.4% (missed). Shares little changed — FY27 guide light: SRS decelerating to 2.5-3.5% (from 4.5% in FY26), adj EPS $11.10-$11.35 (vs $11.39 consensus). (Recap, not a stance call.)
Darden owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and a stable of other sit-down restaurant chains. The quarter was solid — sales up 14%, and "same-restaurant sales" (the growth from locations open at least a year, the cleanest read on underlying health) up 4.6% with more customers walking in. Darden also raised its dividend 8% and authorized a big new $1.5 billion buyback, returning cash to shareholders. The stock barely moved because the outlook for next year (FY27) came in a bit light.
The notable split is between brands: LongHorn is on fire (comparable sales +9.5%), helped by years of food-quality investment and diners trading down from pricier steakhouses, while Olive Garden lagged (+2.4%) — younger diners are softer and a new smaller-portion menu is shrinking check sizes even as it brings people back more often. For next year Darden guides same-restaurant sales to slow to 2.5-3.5% (from 4.5%), which is the "light" part. The article's question: can Olive Garden find its footing through the new menu and its Uber delivery partnership, or does LongHorn keep carrying the company? A recap, not a call.
In short: Named among restaurants/retailers showing the consumer divergence from tech.
6:06It's like a I call it like an 8% 10% nominal GDP grower over that side. But then if you look at McDonald's, look at Darden restaurants, look at Home Depot, look at Nike, the divergence on the consumer side, the restaurants, the retailers are all in flames. Uh we did a little look this morning where conversation the suppliers to Home Depot are all down 10 20 40%.
In short: "Crushing Darden" — the biggest US restaurant chain rolling over vs the S&P; rising recession risk.
Darden is the largest U.S. restaurant company (Olive Garden and others). The energy-driven inflation squeeze is "crushing Darden," which is badly underperforming the S&P.
As the biggest restaurant chain, its weakness is a clear signal of rising recession risk — discretionary dining-out spending is one of the first things consumers cut.
27:45Now, we're moving into this potential inflation, but we have a new Fed governor who's going to come up with reasons to cut rates. This move in oil and gas that's crushing Home Depot, that's crushing the restaurants right now, that's crushing Darden. Look at Darden versus the S&P, the biggest restaurant chain in America.
In short: #23, yield 2.9%. Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and "the recently acquired Ruth's Chris Steak House." Scale as a cost weapon: "while many smaller restaurant chains are struggling with rising costs, Darden's scale allows them to negotiate better prices on everything from shrimp to steak." Operating culture — a "'brilliant with the basics' philosophy that has led to consistent same-restaurant sales growth" — and brand loyalty holding up "even in a tighter economy."
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