Lower Interest Rates Ahead? Jim Cramer on the Macro Setup, Alphabet, and 27 More Stocks

8. Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) was among the stocks Jim Cramer discussed as he said that the Iran peace negotiations could trigger an oil glut, cool inflation, and pull interest rates down. Cramer said that he likes the company “ahead of the quarter,” as he said:

Darden reports in the morning. This fabulous restaurant chain, the home of Olive Garden, by the way, almost always surprises to the upside. It’s like clockwork. Nearly as good as hospitality king, Marriott. I like Darden ahead of the quarter, I do because I see gas prices coming down, and that’s a very good determinant and has been for the 25 years I’ve followed Darden.

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) owns and runs full-service restaurants under well-known brand names, including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Yard House. Cramer called it one of the retail winners during the December 18, 2025, episode, as he commented:

Retail’s such a huge portion of this economy, it can mask the questionable kinds of transactions we’ve been seeing at the highest level of tech. Consider the retail winners today. There’s Darden, that’s the owner of Olive Garden. It vaulted nearly 2%. Yes, the numbers from Olive Garden look great.