{"schema_version":"secwatch.filing_event.v1","accession":"0000940944-21-000091","form_type":"8-K","ticker":"DRI","cik":"0000940944","company_name":"DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC","filed_at":"2021-12-17T23:59:59+00:00","discovered_at":"2026-05-14T18:04:16.342642+00:00","generated_at":"2026-06-28T00:22:10.730000+00:00","sec_items":["5.02","9.01"],"event_type":"leadership","sentiment":"positive","materiality_score":0.7,"calibrated_materiality_score":0.7,"confidence":"high","headline":"Darden CEO Gene Lee to retire May 29, 2022; COO Rick Cardenas named successor","bullets":["Eugene I. Lee, Jr. to retire as CEO effective May 29, 2022; will serve as Executive Chairman until 2022 annual meeting, then non-executive Chairman.","Board elects President and COO Ricardo Cardenas as CEO and board member effective May 30, 2022. Cardenas joined Darden in 1984 as hourly employee.","During Lee's tenure, Darden's revenues increased >$2B and market cap tripled to ~$20B; total shareholder returns 1.5x S&P 500.","Cardenas served as CFO from 2016 to 2021 and COO since January 2021."],"urls":{"canonical":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0000940944-21-000091","json":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0000940944-21-000091.json","markdown":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0000940944-21-000091.md","text":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0000940944-21-000091.txt","edgar_index":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000094094421000091/0000940944-21-000091-index.htm","edgar_primary_document":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000094094421000091/dri-20211215.htm"},"model":{"generated_by":"deepseek-v4-flash:cloud@v2","generated_at":"2026-06-28T00:22:10.730000+00:00"},"review":{"review_status":"machine_generated","human_reviewed":false,"corrected":false,"correction_note":null,"correction_timestamp":null,"superseded_by":null,"related_filings":[]},"source_grounded_claims":[{"claim_id":"040629d37b","claim":"Eugene I. Lee, Jr. changed role as Executive Chairman at DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC.","evidence_excerpt":"Eugene I. Lee, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (the Company), informed the Board of Directors (Board) of the Company of his intention to retire as CEO effective May 29, 2022.","evidence_source":"SEC 8-K Item 5.02","evidence_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000094094421000091/0000940944-21-000091-index.htm","confidence":0.95,"family_label":"Executive change","details":[{"label":"Action","value":"retire"},{"label":"Role","value":"Executive Chairman"}],"fact_type":"executive_change"},{"claim_id":"3ab11f07c0","claim":"Ricardo Cardenas was appointed as President and CEO at DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC.","evidence_excerpt":"the Board appointed President and Chief Operating Officer Ricardo Cardenas to serve as the Company’s President and CEO beginning on May 30, 2022.","evidence_source":"SEC 8-K Item 5.02","evidence_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000094094421000091/0000940944-21-000091-index.htm","confidence":0.95,"family_label":"Executive change","details":[{"label":"Action","value":"appointed"},{"label":"Role","value":"President and CEO"}],"fact_type":"executive_change"},{"claim_id":"78479623fd","claim":"Ricardo Cardenas was elected as Director at DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC.","evidence_excerpt":"the Board voted to increase the number of directors of the Company to nine and elected Mr. Cardenas as a director, all effective May 30, 2022.","evidence_source":"SEC 8-K Item 5.02","evidence_url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000094094421000091/0000940944-21-000091-index.htm","confidence":0.95,"family_label":"Executive change","details":[{"label":"Action","value":"elected"},{"label":"Role","value":"Director"}],"fact_type":"executive_change"}],"license":"Source filings: public domain (SEC EDGAR). Summaries (headline + bullets): CC-BY-4.0; attribute https://secwatch.observer"}