NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's CreditWire) Feb. 9, 2000--Standard & Poor's today assigned its triple-'B'-plus rating to Darden Restaurants Inc.'s $300 million revolving credit facility that matures in 2004. At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its triple-'B'-plus long-term corporate credit, senior unsecured debt, and bank loan ratings on Darden and its triple-'B'-plus preliminary senior unsecured shelf rating on the company. Standard & Poor's also affirmed its 'A-2' short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings on Darden. The $300 million unsecured revolving credit agreement is rated the same as the corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings, reflecting the lenders' equal status with other senior unsecured creditors. The outlook is stable. The ratings on Darden reflect the company's relatively
