DRI

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

DOUBTFUL — METHODS DIFFERstock

Is DRI Halal?

Restaurant operation is permissible at the activity level, but alcohol and non-halal-meat exposure make Darden DOUBTFUL under stricter qualitative Sharia interpretations.

What You Should Know

Darden Restaurants, Inc. operates Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Fine Dining, Yard House, Ruth's Chris, Cheddar's, Bahama Breeze and Chuy's. Its February 22, 2026 Form 10-Q reports $12,888.8 million of total assets, $2,431.0 million of interest-bearing debt, $240.4 million of cash and equivalents and $107.7 million of net receivables. Those inputs produce debt/assets of 18.86%, cash/assets of 1.87% and receivables plus cash/assets of 2.70%. The examined MSCI and Malaysia asset-ratio calculations pass their disclosed financial inputs, while the FTSE assessment remains incomplete because the filing reports net interest expense rather than standalone interest income; market-cap methods are not calculated without a licensed historical series. The restaurant activity is generally permissible at the core-service level, but alcohol sales and non-halal-certified meat create material qualitative concerns and the filing does not disclose a universal prohibited-revenue numerator.

⚠️ Concerns

  • Alcohol is sold across the full-service portfolio and is especially prominent in concepts such as Yard House; some scholars treat this exposure as disqualifying without requiring a consolidated percentage
  • Menus include pork products and non-halal-certified meat across brands
  • The filing reports $290 million of commercial paper and $2,141 million of long-term debt; acquisition, dividend and repurchase activity can change leverage
  • Chuy's integration, Bahama Breeze closures and brand conversions can change the portfolio mix
  • The filing reports net interest expense rather than standalone interest income, so no fixed purification percentage is asserted

Current quantitative Sharia screen

Based on 10-Q figures for the period ended 2026-02-22; calculated 2026-07-13.

USD · millions
Interest-bearing debt / assets
18.86%Within limit
Below 33.333% under FTSE Yasaar

2,431 / 12,888.8

Cash + interest-bearing securities / assets
1.87%Within limit
Below 33.333% under FTSE Yasaar

240.4 / 12,888.8

Receivables + cash / assets
2.70%Within limit
Below 50% under FTSE Yasaar

348.1 / 12,888.8

FTSE Yasaar
v4.6, February 2026
Financial
Incomplete
Overall
Incomplete

Debt is 18.86%, liquidity is 1.87% and receivables plus cash are 2.70%, all below the examined FTSE asset limits. The filing does not disclose standalone interest income, so the FTSE income component remains incomplete.

MSCI Islamic (total-assets series)
October 2024 methodology
Financial
Pass
Overall
Incomplete

Debt is 18.86%, liquidity is 1.87% and receivables plus cash are 2.70%, below the examined MSCI total-assets limits. The business screen remains incomplete because no universal prohibited-revenue numerator is disclosed.

Malaysia SAC financial ratios
single 5% activity benchmark adopted November 2025
Financial
Pass
Overall
Incomplete

Debt is 18.86% and liquidity is 1.87%, below the examined Malaysia SAC financial limits. The business screen remains incomplete because no universal prohibited-revenue numerator is disclosed.

Market-cap denominator methods
MSCI M-Series, S&P and Dow Jones methods differ
Financial
Not calculated
Overall
Not calculated

A properly licensed and reproducible historical market-cap series is not stored, so these methods are not estimated from a current spot price.

Business-activity disclosure

Darden operates full-service restaurant brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Fine Dining, Yard House, Ruth's Chris, Cheddar's, Bahama Breeze and Chuy's. Restaurant and food-service operation is permissible at the activity level, but alcohol sales and non-halal-certified meat create material qualitative Sharia concerns.

Limitation: The filing does not allocate a universal prohibited-revenue numerator for alcohol, pork, non-halal meat or other menu items across brands; no exact prohibited-revenue percentage is asserted.

Purification

Darden's filing reports net interest expense rather than a standalone interest-income amount and does not prescribe a scholar-approved purification percentage. Readers should follow the qualified scholar or methodology they use rather than applying an invented fixed rate.

Inputs, assumptions and primary sources
  • Inputs use Darden's February 22, 2026 Form 10-Q; amounts are USD millions and revenue is for the nine months ended February 22, 2026.
  • Debt uses $290.0 million of short-term debt plus $2,141.0 million of long-term debt. Operating lease liabilities are not added separately.
  • Cash uses $240.4 million of cash and cash equivalents. The filing does not report a separate current securities balance used in this screen.
  • Receivables use $107.7 million of net receivables. Inventories and prepaid and other current assets are not added.
  • The filing reports net interest expense rather than a standalone interest-income line; no non-compliant-income numerator or fixed purification rate is inferred.

This is a reproducible financial screen, not a fatwa. A failed total-assets screen can coexist with a pass under a market-cap methodology. ZakatInvest keeps the qualitative assessment separate so numerical thresholds do not erase material context.

🧾
Own DRI? Purify your portfolio.
Per-holding purification amounts, zakat on your shares, and halal alternatives for flagged holdings — a personalized report prepared for you within 48 hours.
Order Your Report — $49 →
Track DRI and 30,000+ stocks' live compliance status with Islamicly — 50% off with code ZAKAT50.Get Islamicly →

Want to screen more assets?

Use our interactive Halal Checker to screen any stock, ETF, or crypto instantly.

Go to Halal Checker →