Darden Partners with Fandango to Offer 'Dinner & A Movie' Gift Cards at Select Supermarkets Nationwide

Darden Partners with Fandango to Offer 'Dinner & A Movie' Gift Cards at Select Supermarkets Nationwide

Movie Gift Card Package Available at Kroger & Safeway Grocery Stores Restaurant &

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) and Fandango are combining two of America's favorite pastimes and giving shoppers an easy way to treat friends and family to "Dinner & A Movie" this holiday season. The Darden and Fandango "Dinner & A Movie" gift card package includes one $25 Darden gift card and one $25 Fandango gift card and marks the first time the world's largest full-service restaurant company has created a partnership to offer a combined gift card package.

Darden restaurant gift cards are redeemable at any Red Lobster, Olive Garden,
LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 or any other Darden restaurant in the United States. The Fandango gift card can be used to purchase tickets for movies playing at more than 16,000 movie screens across the country through Fandango's website (www.fandango.com) and its various mobile applications. The "Dinner & A Movie" gift card package retails for $50.

"The holidays are a popular time for dining out and seeing movies, and we're excited to partner with Fandango to offer a convenient way to give 'Dinner & A Movie' to family and friends," said John Caron, chief marketing officer for Darden. "Through Darden's more than 1,800 restaurants and Fandango's access to more than 16,000 movie screens, recipients of this gift card package have a variety of entertainment choices to create a gift that's truly their own."

The "Dinner & A Movie" gift card package is currently available nationwide at more than 2,400 Kroger grocery stores, including Ralph's, King Soopers, Fry's and Food 4 Less, and at select Safeway, Carrs and Dominick's grocery stores in Alaska, Chicago, Phoenix and Portland. The cards will continue to be available at these locations after the holidays and have no expiration date.

About Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI), the world's largest full-service restaurant company, owns and operates 1,800 restaurants that generate more than $7 billion in annual sales. Headquartered in Orlando, and employing approximately 180,000 people, Darden is recognized for a culture that rewards caring for and responding to people. Our restaurant brands - Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 - reflect the rich diversity of those who dine with us. Our brands are built on deep insights into what our guests want. For more information, please visit www.darden.com.

SOURCE Darden Restaurants, Inc.: General

Darden Restaurants, Inc.: General

CONTACT: Rich Jeffers, +1-407-245-4189, rjeffers@darden.com

Web Site: http://www.darden.com

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