--- title: "Darden Restaurants Industry Context" description: "Industry Context for Darden Restaurants (DRI)." canonical: https://www.getswoopr.com/stocks/companies/darden-restaurants/industry-context/ source: "Swoopr Investment: https://www.getswoopr.com" --- **Direct answer:** This research guide covers industry context analysis for Darden Restaurants Industry Context using primary SEC filings as the source of record. Each section identifies what to verify, where to find it, and why it matters to an investment decision. Figures must be confirmed against current filings before use. # Darden Restaurants Industry Context ## How Does DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC Sit in Its SEC Industry Classification? DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC files under SEC standard industrial classification 5812, Retail-Eating Places. Among the 31 companies Swoopr covers under SIC 5812, its latest reported revenue of $13.2 billion ranks 3rd. The comparison uses each company's own latest fiscal year, which can differ by up to a year across the group. | Measure | DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC (FY2026) | Peer reference | | --- | --- | --- | | Revenue | $13.2 billion | 3rd of 31 | | Operating margin | 12.0% | 10.9% (median of 7 peers with a quarter to four times its revenue) | | Revenue growth | +9.4% | +5.4% (median of 7 peers with a quarter to four times its revenue) | Companies of similar size in the same classification: [CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC](https://www.getswoopr.com/stocks/companies/chipotle-mexican-grill/) ($11.9 billion), [Yum China Holdings, Inc.](https://www.getswoopr.com/stocks/companies/yum-china-holdings-inc/) ($11.8 billion), [Aramark](https://www.getswoopr.com/stocks/companies/aramark/) ($18.5 billion), [YUM BRANDS INC](https://www.getswoopr.com/stocks/companies/yum-brands/) ($8.2 billion), [MCDONALDS CORP](https://www.getswoopr.com/stocks/companies/mcdonalds/) ($26.9 billion). A classification code groups companies by how they describe their main business to the SEC, so two companies with the same code can still differ in customers, geography and cost structure. Treat the comparison as a starting point for the questions below. ## Where value can be captured The chain often spans design or sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, wholesale or digital distribution, stores or service capacity, marketing, financing, and consumers. Brand and customer experience can shift economics away from commodity-like competition. For Darden Restaurants, name suppliers, channels, customers and infrastructure dependencies only when a reliable source establishes the relationship. The goal is to show where the company sits, what it depends on, and where bargaining power resides. ## Industry drivers - Traffic Or Customer Volume: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Average Ticket Or Selling Price: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Unit Volume: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Same-Store Sales: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Store Or Capacity Growth: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Booking Or Occupancy Trends: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Product Mix: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. - Promotional Intensity: connect this driver to a disclosed KPI and to the financial statement line it influences. ## Macro connections - Consumer Confidence: document the transmission mechanism rather than assuming correlation. - Real Disposable Income: document the transmission mechanism rather than assuming correlation. - Employment: document the transmission mechanism rather than assuming correlation. - Interest Rates: document the transmission mechanism rather than assuming correlation. - Housing Activity: document the transmission mechanism rather than assuming correlation. - Travel Demand: document the transmission mechanism rather than assuming correlation. ## Peer map A starting peer group from the current S&P 500 classification is **Chipotle Mexican Grill, Domino's, McDonald's, Starbucks, Yum! Brands**. Some may be adjacent rather than direct competitors. The latest Darden Restaurants filing and credible industry sources should refine the map. ## Questions for the supply-chain map - Which inputs are scarce, concentrated, regulated, or difficult to substitute? - Which layer has the highest switching costs? - Where can capacity expand quickly, and where does it take years? - Which participants bear inventory, credit, commodity, or utilization risk? - Is Darden Restaurants's advantage located in intellectual property, physical assets, licenses, distribution, brand, data, or customer integration? - Which dependency could become a bottleneck under stress? ## References The evergreen analysis above is anchored to verified index metadata and a filing-first research workflow. Time-sensitive financial figures are refreshed from the latest primary filings. - [S&P Dow Jones Indices: S&P 500](https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/equity/sp-500/) - [SEC EDGAR company filings for Darden Restaurants](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=940944&owner=exclude&action=getcompany) - [SEC submissions JSON for CIK 940944](https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0000940944.json) **Source-review rule:** Check any statement about current revenue, margins, management, products, segment mix, guidance, market share or capital allocation against the latest 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, proxy statement, earnings release or official investor-relations material before relying on it. **[Swoopr Editorial Team](https://www.getswoopr.com/authors/swoopr-editorial-team/)** Swoopr's editorial team produces independent investment education content reviewed for accuracy and clarity. We do not provide personalized financial advice. 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