How many employees work at Darden Restaurants?
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) has approximately 212,569 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Darden Restaurants’s total headcount has declined 11.3% from 239,644 employees in 2023 to 212,569 in 2026.
Is Darden Restaurants hiring right now?
Yes, Darden Restaurants is actively hiring. Darden Restaurants had 12,395 active job postings in 2026, a 38.1% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Darden Restaurants’s Workforce
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) is a Hospitality and Tourism Management company that employs 212,569 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1938, the company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Darden Restaurants's workforce has declined 11.3% from 2023 to 2026, down 2.9% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 212,569 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in North America (95.9%), followed by Central America and the Caribbean (1.3%) and South America (0.6%).
Darden Restaurants's functional groups are Finance and Operations (70.4%), Engineering (18.0%), and Sales and Marketing (11.6%). The average salary is $37,682, ranging from a median of $32,000 in North America to $4,000 in South Asia, up 0.8% year over year in 2026.
Darden Restaurants's active job postings rose 38.1% in 2026 to 12,395, with new postings per month cooling from 4,724 in 2023 to 4,282 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- New York Stock Exchange: DRI
- Headquarters
- Orlando, Florida
- Founded
- 1938
- Industry
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Employees
- 212,569
- YoY
- -2.9% (-11,235)
As of March 2026
Darden Restaurants workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Darden Restaurants. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsDarden Restaurants Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Darden Restaurants had 212,569 employees in 2026, a 2.9% decline (-11,235) from 2025.
- Darden Restaurants had 214,146 employees in 2025, a 3.0% decline (-11,627) from 2024.
- Darden Restaurants had 225,773 employees in 2024, a 1.5% decline (-9,524) from 2023.
- Darden Restaurants had 235,297 employees in 2023, a 0.8% increase (-5,106) from 2022.
Darden Restaurants's total workforce has declined from 239,644 employees in 2023 to 212,569 in 2026.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 212,569 | -11,235 | -2.9% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 214,146 | -11,627 | -3.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 216,629 | -10,162 | -2.4% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 220,434 | -10,079 | -2.2% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 223,804 | -9,111 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 225,773 | -9,524 | -1.5% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 226,791 | -9,203 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 230,513 | -9,131 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 232,915 | -7,544 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 235,297 | -5,106 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 235,994 | -3,326 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 239,644 | -2,420 | +2.1% |
See Darden Restaurants's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataDarden Restaurants Employee Count by Region (2026)
North America accounts for the largest share of Darden Restaurants's global workforce with approximately 96% of total employees, followed by Central America and the Caribbean and South America.
Darden Restaurants employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 203,020 | 95.9% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 2,682 | 1.3% |
| South America | 1,255 | 0.6% |
| Arab States | 846 | 0.4% |
| South Asia | 746 | 0.4% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 576 | 0.3% |
| Southeast Asia | 560 | 0.3% |
| Central and Western Asia | 555 | 0.3% |
| East Asia | 371 | 0.2% |
| Western Europe | 327 | 0.2% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataDarden Restaurants Employee Count by Department (2026)
Darden Restaurants's employee groups are Finance and Operations (70.4%), Engineering (18.0%), and Sales and Marketing (11.6%).
Darden Restaurants employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 147,386 | 70.4% |
| Engineering | 37,793 | 18.0% |
| Sales and Marketing | 24,266 | 11.6% |
Compare Darden Restaurants's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataDarden Restaurants Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Darden Restaurants's average employee salary is $37,682 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in South Asia, at a median of $4,000.
Darden Restaurants median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern Europe | $39,000 |
| Western Europe | $38,000 |
| North America | $32,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $30,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $21,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $21,000 |
| Arab States | $19,000 |
| East Asia | $19,000 |
| Southern Europe | $15,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $12,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $6,000 |
| North Africa | $5,000 |
| South America | $5,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $4,000 |
| South Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Darden Restaurants's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataDarden Restaurants Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Darden Restaurants had 12,395 active job postings in 2026, a 38.1% increase (-611) from 2025.
- Darden Restaurants had 13,006 active job postings in 2025, a 12.1% increase (+1,488) from 2024.
- Darden Restaurants had 11,518 active job postings in 2024, a 6.9% decline (-828) from 2023.
- Darden Restaurants had 12,346 active job postings in 2023, a 33.9% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 4,282 new roles/month, down from 5,371 in 2025 and 2,723 in 2024.
Darden Restaurants's active job postings rose 38.1% in 2026 to 12,395, with new postings per month cooling from 4,724 in 2023 to 4,282 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataDarden Restaurants Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Darden Restaurants's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Darden Restaurants
- How fast is Darden Restaurants growing?
- In 2026, Darden Restaurants's headcount shrank 2.9% to 212,569 employees, down from 223,804 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Darden Restaurants employees located?
- Most Darden Restaurants employees are based in North America (95.9% of headcount), followed by Central America and the Caribbean and South America.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Darden Restaurants?
- The average employee salary at Darden Restaurants is approximately $37.7k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Darden Restaurants open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Darden Restaurants opened 12,846 new job postings. In 2025, Darden Restaurants opened 64,453 new job postings — about 5,371 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Darden Restaurants founded and where is it headquartered?
- Darden Restaurants was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
- Compare Darden Restaurants to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Darden Restaurants.
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