The news: Darden Restaurants’ sales were softer than expected for the quarter ended February 23—a result the company attributed to poor weather, though it may also reflect growing consumer caution amid uncertainty.

• Darden’s acquisition of Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chuy’s drove a 6.2% YoY increase in net sales to $3.16 billion, but that was less than the $3.21 billion forecast by LSEG’s analyst poll.
• Same-restaurant sales rose just 0.7% YoY, a percentage point below analysts’ expectations, due to weaker-than-anticipated performance at Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse.

A complex picture: Darden’s tepid quarter is very much in line with the latest retail sales data from the US Commerce Department, which found that February sales at restaurants and bars rose just 1.5% YoY and fell 1.5% on a MoM basis. However, executives insisted that the fall-off in demand was due to challenging weather, and noted that excluding the weather impact, same-restaurant sales across all of its four segments were positive.