Darden Restaurants (DRI) Q3 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates

Core Insights - Darden Restaurants reported $3.16 billion in revenue for the quarter ended February 2025, a year-over-year increase of 6.2%, with an EPS of $2.80 compared to $2.62 a year ago [1] - The reported revenue fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.21 billion, resulting in a surprise of -1.54%, while the EPS also missed the consensus estimate of $2.81 by -0.36% [1] Financial Performance - Darden's shares returned -4.4% over the past month, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -7.5% change, and currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) [3] - Same-restaurant sales for LongHorn Steakhouse increased by 2.6%, below the 10-analyst average estimate of 4.9% [4] - Same-restaurant sales for Olive Garden rose by 0.6%, compared to the estimated 1.7% by 10 analysts [4] - Consolidated same-restaurant sales showed a year-over-year change of 0.7%, below the average estimate of 1.9% [4] Restaurant Metrics - Total company-owned restaurants stood at 2,165, slightly below the average estimate of 2,174 [4] - Olive Garden had 927 company-owned restaurants, compared to the average estimate of 930 [4] - LongHorn Steakhouse reported 586 company-owned restaurants, slightly above the average estimate of 584 [4] Sales Performance - Olive Garden sales reached $1.33 billion, below the $1.36 billion average estimate, representing a year-over-year change of +1.5% [4] - Other Business sales were $674.30 million, compared to the $689.74 million average estimate, reflecting a year-over-year increase of +20.2% [4] - Fine Dining sales amounted to $385.30 million, slightly below the average estimate of $385.92 million, with a year-over-year change of +3.3% [4] - LongHorn Steakhouse sales were $768.10 million, compared to the average estimate of $784.75 million, showing a year-over-year increase of +5.1% [4]