EXHIBIT 99(a)

              STATEMENT UNDER OATH OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER

              AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER REGARDING FACTS AND

                 CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS

I, Joe R. Lee, state and attest that:

     (1)  To the  best of my  knowledge,  based  upon a  review  of the  covered
          reports of Darden  Restaurants,  Inc.,  and,  except as  corrected  or
          supplemented in a subsequent covered report:

          o    no covered  report  contained  an untrue  statement of a material
               fact as of the end of the period  covered  by such  report (or in
               the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive  proxy  materials,
               as of the date on which it was filed); and

          o    no covered  report  omitted to state a material fact necessary to
               make  the  statements  in the  covered  report,  in  light of the
               circumstances  under which they were made,  not  misleading as of
               the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case of a
               report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials,  as of the date
               on which it was filed).

     (2)  I have  reviewed the  contents of this  statement  with the  Company's
          Audit Committee.

     (3)  In this statement  under oath,  each of the following,  if filed on or
          before the date of this statement, is a "covered report":

          o    Annual  Report on Form  10-K for the  fiscal  year  ended May 26,
               2002, of Darden Restaurants, Inc.;

          o    all  reports  on Form  10-Q,  all  reports  on  Form  8-K and all
               definitive proxy materials of Darden Restaurants, Inc. filed with
               the  Commission  subsequent  to  the  filing  of  the  Form  10-K
               identified above; and

          o    any amendments to any of the foregoing.


 /s/ Joe R. Lee                             Subscribed and sworn to before me
-----------------
Signature                                   this 19th day of August 2002.
Joe R. Lee
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer        /s/ Theresa M. Tralongo
                                            ------------------------
Darden Restaurants, Inc.                    Notary Public - Theresa M. Tralongo
August 19, 2002                             State of Florida/County of Orange
                                            My Commission Expires: 5/30/05