U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, DC 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [_] Check box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Rivera Richard E. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 5900 LAKE ELLENOR DRIVE P.O. BOX 593330 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) ORLANDO FLORIDA 32859-3330 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC. (DRI) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. IRS Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an Entity (Voluntary) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Statement for Month/Day/Year 04/01/03 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer (Check all applicable) [_] Director [_] 10% Owner [X] Officer (give title below) [_] Other (specify below) PRESIDENT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check applicable line) [X] Form filed by one Reporting Person [_] Form filed by more than one Reporting Person -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================================ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned ================================================================================ 5. Amount of 6. 4. Secutities Owner- Securities Acquired (A) or Beneficially ship 2A. 3. Disposed of (D) Owned Form: 7. Deemed Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Following Direct Nature of 2. Execution Code ------------------------------ Reported (D) or Indirect 1. Transaction Date, if (Instr. 8) (A) Transaction(s) Indirect Beneficial Title of Security Date any (Month/ ------------ Amount or Price (Instr. 3 (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) Day/Year) Code V (D) and 4) (Instr.4) (Instr. 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock 4/01/03 F 534 D $17.735 198,701 D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== * If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see Instruction 4(b)(v). Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. (Print or Type Response) (Over) FORM 4 (continued) Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) ================================================================================ 9. 10. Number Owner- of ship deriv- Form 2. 5. ative of Conver- Number of 7. Secur- Deriv- 11. sion Derivative Title & Amount ities ative Nature or Secutities 6. of Underlying 8. Bene- Secur- of Exer- 4. Acquired Date Securities Price ficially ity: In- cise 3. 3A. Trans- (A)or Exercisable and (Instr.3 and 4) of Owned Direct direct Price Trans- Deemed action Disposed Expiration Date --------------- Deriv- Following (D) or Bene- 1. of action Execution Code of (D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative Reported In- ficial Title of Deriv- Date Date, if (Instr. (Instr.3, ---------------- or Secur- Trans- direct Owner- Derivative ative Month/ any 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity action(s) (I) ship Security Secur- Day/ (Month ------ --------- Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. 3) ity Year) Day/Year) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== Explanation of Responses: /s/ Douglas E. Wentz 04/03/03 --------------------------------------------- ----------------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date BY: DOUGLAS E. WENTZ, Attorney-in-fact for RIVERA, RICHARD E. 5900 LAKE ELLENOR DRIVE P.O. BOX 593330 ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32859-3330 DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC. (DRI) ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.