Darden Restaurants advertising spend, FY2026
Darden Restaurants (DRI) reported $180M of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026. That is 1.4% of revenue of $13.2B. Up 6.2% from FY2025.
Key facts
- Ad spend is 24% below its FY2016 level ($238M), while revenue grew 1.9x.
- The highest year on file is FY2011 at $340M; FY2026 is 47% below it.
- Largest increase +26.9% in FY2023; largest cut -61.7% in FY2021.
- Ad spend has risen 5 years in a row.
- Ad spend is 1.4% of revenue, about the same as 1.3% in FY2021.
- Darden Restaurants spends more on advertising than 30% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is below the median of 5.2%.
Ad spend by fiscal year
Ad spend as % of revenue
History
Download CSV| Fiscal year | Period end | Ad spend | YoY | Revenue | Ad / revenue | Tag | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | May 31, 2026 | $180M | +6.2% | $13.2B | 1.4% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 24, 2026 |
| FY2025 | May 25, 2025 | $170M | +17.6% | $12.1B | 1.4% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 24, 2026 |
| FY2024 | May 26, 2024 | $145M | +22.1% | $11.4B | 1.3% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 24, 2026 |
| FY2023 | May 28, 2023 | $118M | +26.9% | $10.5B | 1.1% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 18, 2025 |
| FY2022 | May 29, 2022 | $93.2M | +2.3% | $9.6B | 1.0% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 19, 2024 |
| FY2021 | May 30, 2021 | $91.1M | -61.7% | $7.2B | 1.3% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 21, 2023 |
| FY2020 | May 31, 2020 | $238M | -6.8% | $7.8B | 3.0% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 22, 2022 |
| FY2019 | May 26, 2019 | $255M | +1.2% | $8.5B | 3.0% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 23, 2021 |
| FY2018 | May 27, 2018 | $252M | +5.3% | $8.1B | 3.1% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 24, 2020 |
| FY2017 | May 28, 2017 | $240M | +0.7% | $7.2B | 3.3% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 19, 2019 |
| FY2016 | May 29, 2016 | $238M | -2.2% | $6.9B | 3.4% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 20, 2018 |
| FY2015 | May 31, 2015 | $243M | -3.6% | $6.8B | 3.6% | MarketingExpense | 10-K Jul 21, 2017 |
| FY2014 | May 25, 2014 | $252M | +4.6% | $6.3B | 4.0% | AdvertisingExpense | 10-K Jul 18, 2014 |
| FY2013 | May 26, 2013 | $241M | +11.8% | $5.9B | 4.1% | AdvertisingExpense | 10-K Jul 18, 2014 |
| FY2012 | May 27, 2012 | $216M | -36.6% | $5.3B | 4.0% | AdvertisingExpense | 10-K Jul 18, 2014 |
| FY2011 | May 29, 2011 | $340M | +9.1% | $7.5B | 4.5% | AdvertisingExpense | 10-K Jul 19, 2013 |
| FY2010 | May 30, 2010 | $312M | +1.2% | $7.1B | 4.4% | AdvertisingExpense | 10-K Jul 20, 2012 |
| FY2009 | May 31, 2009 | $308M | n/a | $7.2B | 4.3% | AdvertisingExpense | 10-K Jul 22, 2011 |
What the figure is
Total marketing expense (XBRL tag MarketingExpense). It can include marketing staff costs, not only paid media.
Earlier years use a different tag. The Tag column above shows which one applies to each year.
Compared with similar spenders
The 6 companies closest to Darden Restaurants in latest-year ad spend.
| Rank | Company | Ad spend | Ad / revenue | YoY | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 232 | Harley-Davidson | $185M | 4.1% | +35.1% | FY2025 |
| 233 | CarGurus | $183M | 20.2% | +13.9% | FY2025 |
| 234 | Workday | $181M | 1.9% | -11.3% | FY2026 |
| 235 | Darden Restaurants | $180M | 1.4% | +6.2% | FY2026 |
| 236 | J.M. Smucker | $179M | 2.0% | -0.9% | FY2026 |
| 237 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | $179M | 0.5% | +53.0% | FY2025 |
| 238 | LegalZoom | $176M | 23.2% | +11.4% | FY2025 |
Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest increases #166 · Lowest ad-to-revenue #45 · Up 5+ years in a row #57
Questions
How much does Darden Restaurants spend on advertising?
Darden Restaurants spent $180M on advertising in fiscal 2026, the year ended May 31, 2026, according to its 10-K filed Jul 24, 2026.
What percentage of revenue does Darden Restaurants spend on advertising?
1.4% of revenue in fiscal 2026 ($180M of $13.2B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.
Is Darden Restaurants spending more on advertising?
Yes. Ad spend rose 6.2% in fiscal 2026 from fiscal 2025. It has risen 5 years in a row.
How does Darden Restaurants rank by advertising spend?
#235 of 336 US-listed companies with $100M or more in ad spend, ranked on each company's latest fiscal year.
What does Darden Restaurants's advertising figure include?
Total marketing expense (XBRL tag MarketingExpense). It can include marketing staff costs, not only paid media.
Source
- Filing
- 10-K for FY2026, filed Jul 24, 2026
- Accession number
0000940944-26-000025- Company
- DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC, CIK 940944, SIC 5812 (Retail-Eating Places)
- Data
- SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
- Cite
- Darden Restaurants advertising spend, FY2009-FY2026. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Jul 24, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/darden-restaurants/advertising-spend/
- Download
- CSV, all years · CSV, all 336 companies