<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ---------------- U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGED COMMISION ----------------------------
|F O R M 3| Washington, D.C. 20549 | OMB APPROVAL |
- ---------------- |--------------------------|
INITIAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP |OMB Number 3235-0104|
|Expires: September 30,1998|
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchanged Act of 1934, |Estimated ave. burden |
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or |hours per response.....0.5|
Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act 1940 ----------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1.Name and Address of Reporting Person* |2.Date of Event |4.Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol |
| | Requiring Statement | |
|LYONS DANIEL M | (Month/Day/Year) | DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC. (DRI) |
| | | |
|----------------------------------------| |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| (Last) (First) (MI)| 01/17/1997 |5.Relationship of Reporting Person to |6.If Amendment, Date of |
| | | Issuer (Check all Applicable) | Original (Mon/Day/Year)|
| 5900 LAKE ELLENOR DRIVE | | | |
| P. O. BOX 593330 |-----------------------| Director 10% Owner | |
| |3.IRS or Soc. Sec. No. |--- --- |-------------------------|
|----------------------------------------| of Reporting Person | |7.Individual or Joint/ |
| (Street) | (Voluntary) | X Officer Other | Group Filing |
| | |---(give title below)---(Specify below)| (Check Applicable Line)|
| | | | X Form filed by One |
|ORLANDO FL 32859 | ###-##-#### | |--- Reporting Person |
| | | | Form filed by More |
| | | |--- than Reporting Person|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| (City) (State) (Zip) |
| TABLE I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|1.Title of Security (Instr. 4) |2.Amount of Securities |3.Ownership |4.Nature of Indirect Beneficial |
| | Beneficially Owned | Form: | Ownership (Instr. 5) |
| | (Instr. 4) | Direct (D) | |
| | | or Indirect | |
| | | (I)(Instr.5)| |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
|<S> |<C> |<C> |<C> |
| Common Stock | 2,623 | D | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| Common Stock | 1,078 (01) | D | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| Common Stock | 421 (01) | D | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| Common Stock | 640 (01) | D | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| Common Stock | 155 (02) | D | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class securities owned directly or indirectly. SEC 1473 (7-96)
*If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).
PAGE: 1 OF 2
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FORM 3 (continued) TABLE II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible security)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1.Title of |2.Date Exercisable and |3.Title and Amount of Underlying |4.Conversion or |5. |6.Nature of |
| Derivative | Expiration Date | Derivative Security (Instr. 4) | Exercise Price |Own. | Indirect |
| Security | (Month/Day/Year) | | of Derivative |Form | Beneficial |
| (Instr. 4) | | | Security |of | Ownership |
| | | | |Deri.| (Instr. 5) |
| | | | |Sec. | |
| | | | |Dir. | |
| | | | |(D) | |
| |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------| |or | |
| |Date |Expiration | |Amount or Number | |Ind. | |
| |Exercisable |Date | Title |of Shares | |(I) | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|<S> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |<C> |
|Stock Option | 01/18/1997 | 02/18/2003 |Common Stock | 9,311 | $12.1718 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 06/28/1997 | 07/28/2003 |Common Stock | 13,036 | $11.5631 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 09/20/1993 | 10/20/2003 |Common Stock | 7,635 | $11.1105 | D | |
| | (03) | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 12/13/1996 | 01/13/2004 |Common Stock | 931 | $10.7981 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 06/01/1994 | 07/01/2004 |Common Stock | 1,083 | $9.6465 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 06/27/1999 | 07/27/2004 |Common Stock | 13,036 | $9.7017 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 09/19/1994 | 10/19/2004 |Common Stock | 8,753 | $9.9121 | D | |
| | (03) | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 12/12/1999 | 01/12/2005 |Common Stock | 2,365 | $9.7145 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
|Stock Option | 05/30/2000 | 05/30/2005 |Common Stock | 30,000 | $10.9375 | D | |
| | | | | | | | |
|-------------------|--------------|--------------|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----|---------------|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explanation of Responses:
(01) Restricted Stock Award authorized by Darden Restaurants, Inc. Board of Directors.
(02) Shares of common stock held in the Profit Sharing & Savings Plan for Darden Restaurants, Inc. for the benefit of all Pla
n participants including the reporting person.
(03) This option vest in equal installments of 20% per year, beginning on the grant date.
**Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal /s/Clifford L. Whitehill 01/24/1997
Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). ------------------------------------------ ----------
**Signature of Reporting Person Date
Note: File three copies of this form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. SEC 1473 (7-96)
Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of informations contained in this form are not
required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMD Number.
LYONS, DANIEL DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC. 01/17/1997 PAGE: 2 OF 2
</TABLE>
<PAGE>