Ricardo Cardenas is President and Chief Executive Officer of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI). The company reported total compensation of $34,815,979 for fiscal year 2026.
| Salary | $1,325,000 |
|---|---|
| Bonus | $0 |
| Stock awards | $25,879,154 |
| Option awards | $2,380,093 |
| Non-equity incentive plan | $4,107,501 |
| Pension and non-qualified deferred compensation | $0 |
| All other compensation | $1,124,230 |
| Total | $34,815,979 |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed, without adjustment.
Cited to the compensation disclosure Darden Restaurants, Inc. filed August 10, 2026, accession 0001193125-26-342023.
| Fiscal year | Role | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | President and Chief Executive Officer | $1,325,000 | $0 | $25,879,154 | $2,380,093 | $4,107,501 | $0 | $1,124,230 | $34,815,979 |
| FY2025 | President and Chief Executive Officer | $1,265,385 | $0 | $8,103,687 | $2,194,486 | $1,898,077 | $0 | $534,236 | $13,995,870 |
| FY2024 | President and Chief Executive Officer | $1,082,692 | $0 | $6,807,950 | $1,888,651 | $1,753,962 | $0 | $471,172 | $12,004,427 |
| FY2023 | President and Chief Executive Officer | $1,000,000 | $0 | $4,252,311 | $1,310,215 | $1,590,000 | $0 | $347,503 | $8,500,029 |
| FY2022 | President and Chief Executive Officer | $795,673 | $0 | $1,846,328 | $546,797 | $1,193,510 | $0 | $326,974 | $4,709,282 |
| FY2021 | President and Chief Executive Officer | $745,192 | $0 | $1,240,596 | $408,505 | $1,058,173 | $0 | $304,487 | $3,756,954 |
Totals as disclosed in each year's own compensation disclosure for Darden Restaurants, Inc..
| Peer-group chief executive median | $15,429,700 |
|---|---|
| Difference from that median | $19,386,280 |
| Percentile within the disclosed peer group | 99th |
| Peers with a disclosed figure | 18 |
Medians and percentiles are computed across the peer group Darden Restaurants, Inc. discloses in its own compensation disclosure.
| Named executive officer | Role | FY2026 total |
|---|---|---|
| Ricardo Cardenas this page | President and Chief Executive Officer | $34,815,979 |
| Rajesh Vennam | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer | $5,462,639 |
| M. Martin | Group President | $4,098,775 |
| Todd Burrowes | Group President and President, Chuy's | $4,092,658 |
| Matthew Broad | Former Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary | $3,248,581 |
| Sarah King | Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer | $3,241,140 |
The company's named executive officers for fiscal year 2026, and what it reported for each. See the full Darden Restaurants, Inc. compensation brief.
Ricardo Cardenas's compensation sits inside Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s full executive and board picture — the peer group, pay against peers, incentive design and the board itself.