Long-Term Debt and Credit Arrangements Narrative (Details)				1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Feb. 09, 2016 USD ($)	Oct. 21, 2015 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2013 USD ($)	Jul. 24, 2015 USD ($)	Apr. 29, 2016 USD ($)	Apr. 24, 2015 USD ($)	Apr. 25, 2014 USD ($)	Jul. 25, 2014 USD ($)	Jan. 02, 2014 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt						$ 339,057,000	$ 451,085,000
Borrowings available			$ 650,000,000
Letter of credit sub-facility			50,000,000
Line of credit facility accordion feature increase limit			300,000,000
Line of credit facility accordion feature higher borrowing capacity option			$ 950,000,000
Credit facility unused capacity commitment fee percentage low end of range			0.15%
Credit facility unused capacity commitment fee percentage high end of range			0.25%
Leverage ratio requirement						4.50
Current coverage ratio						11.64
Current leverage ratio						2.44
Amount available under sale leaseback facility						$ 51,000,000
Financing costs						3,555,000	1,279,000	$ 2,064,000
Letters of credit outstanding, amount						14,907,000
Interest costs incurred						210,000	471,000	611,000
Interest paid						10,579,000	10,399,000	$ 4,544,000
Mimi's Café
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Sale note receivable				$ 30,000,000
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility variable rate low end			1.00%
Credit facility variable rate high end			2.75%
Debt instrument, spread on variable rate			1.00%
Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility variable rate low end			0.00%
Credit facility variable rate high end			1.75%
Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, spread on variable rate		0.50%	0.50%
Eurodollar
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, spread on variable rate		1.00%
R&D Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loans payable						3,000,000
First Amendment to the Credit Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility			$ 750,000,000
Line of credit facility sale leaseback capacity			100,000,000
Debt instrument covenant share repurchase restriction			150,000,000
Third Amendment to the Credit Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility			650,000,000
Line of credit facility sale leaseback capacity			$ 300,000,000			300,000,000
Annual rent expense to EBITDAR ratio			6
Debt instrument fees			$ 812,000
Write off of deferred financing costs			$ 480,000
Credit Agreement borrowings | First Amendment to the Credit Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unamortized debt financing cost									$ 1,279,000
Standby Letters of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowings available						14,607,000
Credit Agreement borrowings
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	[1]					$ 307,000,000	447,599,000
Amendment fee					$ 1,705,000
Coverage ratio requirement						3.00
Effective interest rate						2.18%
Credit Agreement borrowings | Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt						$ 307,000,000
Financing costs										$ 2,064,000
Mortgage Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	[1]					28,963,000	0
Financing costs		$ 1,064,000
Debt financing cost amortization period		10 years
Quarterly debt payment						750,000
Mortgage Loan | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate		4.625%
Mortgage Loan | Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate		3.625%
Mortgage Loan | Secured Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility		$ 30,000,000
Interest-free loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	[1]					875,000	855,000
R&D Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	[1]					2,219,000	$ 2,631,000
Loans payable						$ 1,000,000
Debt instrument term						10 years

[1] The Credit Agreement, Mortgage Loan, R&D Loan and Interest-free loan mature in fiscal 2019, 2026, 2021 and 2022, respectively.