Stock Wars: Darden Restaurants Vs. Dave Buster''s Benzinga’s weekly Stock Wars matches up two leaders in a major industry sector with the goal of determining which company is the better investment. This week, the duel is between two restaurant chains: Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI ) and Dave Buster’s Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAY ). The Case For Darden Restaurants: Bill Darden was a 19-year-old in Waycross, Georgia, when he opened his restaurant The Green Frog in 1938. Thirty years later, Darden opened the first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, growing it into a small chain. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS ) acquired Red Lobster in 1970 and retained Darden as a vice president. Over time, this division expanded to the point that it became a separate company in 1995, with shares trading on the NYSE. Today, Darden operates eight national restaurant chains — Bahama Breeze, Cheddar''s Scratch Kitchen, Eddie V’s, LongHorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, Seasons 52 and Yard House — and more than 1,800 eateries; the company sold Red Lobster in 2014.