Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Nov. 24, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Darden Restaurants, Inc. (we, our, Darden or the Company) owns and operates full-service dining restaurants in the United States and Canada under the trade names Olive Garden^®, LongHorn Steakhouse^®, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen^®, Yard House^®, The Capital Grille^®, Seasons 52^®, Bahama Breeze^®, and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood^®. As of November 24, 2019, through subsidiaries, we own and operate all of our restaurants in the United States and Canada, except for 3 joint venture restaurants managed by us and 33 franchised restaurants. We also have 32 franchised restaurants in operation located in Latin America and the Middle East. We have prepared these consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally presented in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included and are of a normal recurring nature. We operate on a 52/53-week fiscal year which ends on the last Sunday in May. Our fiscal year ending May 31, 2020 will contain 53 weeks of operation, with the 53rd week occurring in our fiscal fourth quarter. Operating results for interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the full fiscal year. These statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes to consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 26, 2019. We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of sales and costs and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We have reclassified certain amounts in prior-period financial statements to conform to the current period’s presentation. On July 29, 2019, we completed the acquisition of five Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen restaurants (four operating and one closed) and certain assets and liabilities from WOW Food Concepts, LLC, an existing franchisee. The acquisition was funded with cash on hand for $37.8 million in total consideration, of which $19.0 million was allocated to land, buildings and equipment. The results of operations of these restaurants are included in our consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. Pro-forma financial information of the combined entities for periods prior to the acquisition is not presented due to the immaterial impact of the financial results of the acquired restaurants on our consolidated financial statements. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards As of May 27, 2019, we adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (ASC 842) which replaced existing lease guidance with comprehensive lease measurement and recognition guidance and expanded disclosure requirements. This new guidance requires lessees to recognize on the balance sheet a liability based on the present value of minimum lease payments and a corresponding right-of-use asset. We adopted this guidance using the modified retrospective transition method which means we did not adjust the balance sheet for comparative periods but recorded a $3.8 million cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of May 27, 2019. We elected the package of practical expedients which allowed us to not reassess previous accounting conclusions regarding lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs. We elected the land easement practical expedient which allowed us to not evaluate our existing land easements for lease accounting treatment. We elected the short-term lease recognition exemption which provided the option to not recognize right-of-use assets and related liabilities that arise from certain leases with terms of 12 months or less. We also elected the accounting policy election to not separate lease and non-lease components for real estate leases entered into after adoption. See Note 14. As of May 27, 2019, we adopted FASB ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815). The amendments in this update better align an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.