Darden Restaurants, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Darden Savings Plan
Orlando, FLAccommodation & Food Services193,634 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$227Employer $ per active participant
$468Employee $ saved per active participant
0.11%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.6BNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity16.3 / 5032th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost10.1 / 2540th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.0 / 1520th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score32 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 10,000+ active participants (41 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 32th |
| Lower admin cost | 40th |
| Employee saving | 20th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 24% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Darden Restaurants put in about $227 per active participant, below the typical peer ($393). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $44,015,238 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $90,674,837 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,621,511 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,279,765 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $316,496 |
| Benefits paid out | $147,459,723 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.4B / $1.6B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 189,323 / 197,946 |
| Participants with account balances | 43,129 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Withumsmith+brown |
| Employer stock held by plan | $377,810,136 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Principal Life Insurance Company | $1,723,890 reported compensation |
| Thomson Reuters - West | $34,314 reported compensation |
| Rehmann | $25,250 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251016123456NAL0003362835001, received 2025-10-16, EIN 59-3305930, plan #044, plan year 2024-05-01 to 2025-04-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.