  The interactions of dark matter (DM) with the visible sector are often
phenomenologically described in the framework of simplified models where the
couplings of quarks to the new particles are generally assumed to be universal
or have a simple structure motivated by observational benchmarks. They should,
however, a priori be treated as free parameters. In this work we discuss one
particular realization of the structure of DM couplings based on an $S_4 \times
Z_5$ flavor symmetry, which has been shown to account reasonably well for
fermion masses and mixing, and compare their effect on observational signals to
universal as well as Yukawa-like couplings, which are motivated by minimal
flavor violation. We will also comment on how these structures could be
constrained in UV complete theories of DM and how DM observables, such as,
e.g., relic density and direct detection, can potentially be used as a smoking
gun for the underlying flavor symmetries.
