Best Restaurant Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top restaurant stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best restaurant stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Restaurants
F
Restaurants is Zen Rated F and is the 124th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
Zen Rating
Financials
Market Cap
ROE
ROA
ROCE
ROIC
D/E
Current Ratio
Gross Margin
Profit Margin
Operating Margin
ARCO
ARCOS DORADOS HOLDINGS INC
$1.72B41.80%7.40%12.40%8.40%3.790.8912.40%5.40%7.71%
EAT
BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC
$6.87B134.20%17.00%28.23%16.70%6.250.3618.70%8.00%10.32%
BJRI
BJS RESTAURANTS INC
$883.86M8.30%3.00%3.71%2.30%1.870.3774.70%2.20%2.21%
YUMC
YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC
$17.86B15.70%8.20%14.45%15.90%0.821.3217.50%7.80%10.93%
RICK
RCI HOSPITALITY HOLDINGS INC
$209.64M6.20%2.80%6.54%6.50%1.220.9286.80%5.90%12.73%
DIN
DINE BRANDS GLOBAL INC
$496.03M-15.10%1.90%8.63%6.30%-8.651.0540.70%3.80%14.28%
MCD
MCDONALDS CORP
$224.33B-276.50%14.50%22.42%11.90%-29.021.0059.40%32.00%46.56%
CAKE
CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC
$2.89B40.00%5.10%7.66%4.60%6.620.5543.00%4.30%5.10%
DPZ
DOMINOS PIZZA INC
$13.86B-14.90%33.30%85.34%19.30%-1.421.6139.80%12.20%19.73%
LOCO
EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS INC
$303.44M9.60%4.30%7.65%8.80%1.130.4131.60%5.40%8.48%
BH
BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC
$853.38M0.40%0.20%0.73%0.90%0.862.8338.30%0.50%1.78%
BLMN
BLOOMIN' BRANDS INC
$511.30M-18.40%-1.70%-1.36%-0.90%8.520.4513.40%-1.60%-0.95%
YUM
YUM BRANDS INC
$43.18B-18.90%21.10%42.35%16.80%-1.961.6946.20%18.00%30.95%
BROS
DUTCH BROS INC
$8.95B10.20%2.30%3.97%3.30%3.131.5226.30%4.00%6.97%
PZZA
PAPA JOHNS INTERNATIONAL INC
$1.15B-8.60%4.20%16.39%6.50%-2.980.879.00%1.80%4.50%
RRGB
RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS INC
$67.01MN/A-8.80%-6.84%-2.90%-6.980.4314.10%-4.30%-2.17%
SHAK
SHAKE SHACK INC
$3.78B8.80%2.40%3.91%3.10%2.541.8465.30%3.10%4.57%
DRI
DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC
$22.95B50.90%8.80%14.19%11.00%5.220.3921.60%8.90%11.61%
HCHL
HAPPY CITY HOLDINGS LTD
$19.21M-173.00%-32.40%-73.52%-48.80%2.630.8312.60%-35.70%-32.72%
CHA
CHAGEE HOLDINGS LTD
$2.23BN/AN/AN/AN/A0.384.22N/AN/AN/A
SBUX
STARBUCKS CORP
$104.76B-17.20%4.20%13.52%6.70%-4.841.0568.10%3.60%7.44%
QSR
RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC
$21.96B28.50%3.70%8.11%9.30%6.061.0648.40%10.00%19.97%
BRCB
BLACK ROCK COFFEE BAR INC
$746.33MN/AN/AN/AN/A5.181.37N/AN/AN/A
CMG
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC
$51.40B44.20%16.70%24.78%16.80%1.881.5425.70%13.00%17.09%
WEN
WENDY's CO
$1.48B121.70%3.80%9.31%6.30%44.570.8138.80%8.40%17.64%
FWRG
FIRST WATCH RESTAURANT GROUP INC
$975.90M0.80%0.30%1.53%1.30%1.830.2520.40%0.40%2.02%
WING
WINGSTOP INC
$7.38B-25.10%24.50%41.94%17.90%-2.034.0586.10%25.50%39.43%
JACK
JACK IN THE BOX INC
$396.27MN/A-3.10%-1.10%-0.50%-3.760.5129.10%-5.50%-1.63%
TXRH
TEXAS ROADHOUSE INC
$11.90B30.90%13.50%19.68%17.10%1.230.3618.30%7.50%8.70%
NDLS
NOODLES & CO
$30.92MN/A-14.90%-16.60%-6.90%-8.210.3422.90%-9.20%-7.05%
VENU
VENU HOLDING CORP
$235.23M-43.80%-17.80%-13.42%-17.00%0.892.0235.20%-239.30%-216.69%
CAVA
CAVA GROUP INC
$7.03B18.70%11.00%4.81%4.60%0.722.6925.00%12.10%4.94%
CNNE
CANNAE HOLDINGS INC
$710.20M-30.30%-24.50%-32.60%-24.80%0.272.0315.80%-108.40%-104.86%
PTLO
PORTILLO's INC
$425.87M5.70%1.60%3.80%4.00%2.400.2722.30%3.40%7.30%
KRUS
KURA SUSHI USA INC
$809.17M-1.80%-0.90%-0.93%-0.70%0.941.6111.00%-1.40%-1.29%
CBRL
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE INC
$672.52M3.70%0.80%1.18%0.70%4.020.5268.80%0.50%0.53%
SG
SWEETGREEN INC
$726.81M-26.70%-13.50%-16.17%-13.80%1.101.2916.80%-16.50%-16.73%
RAVE
RAVE RESTAURANT GROUP INC
$47.47M20.10%17.30%22.24%25.90%0.157.5771.80%23.10%28.04%
NATH
NATHANS FAMOUS INC
$413.53M-180.10%40.00%75.91%51.10%-11.653.1331.60%14.70%22.10%
BTBD
BT BRANDS INC
$8.19M-13.30%-8.10%-4.57%-4.20%0.556.8018.20%-6.70%-3.57%
CCHH
CCH HOLDINGS LTD
$8.86MN/AN/AN/AN/A0.802.02N/AN/AN/A
MB
MASTERBEEF GROUP
$95.88M-75.30%-12.00%-14.63%-13.50%3.831.6065.40%-8.00%-5.67%
HDL
SUPER HI INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LTD
$1.06B5.60%6.30%21.15%24.20%-0.111.8926.20%2.50%5.32%
ARKR
ARK RESTAURANTS CORP
$23.66M-30.00%-8.10%-5.19%-3.00%3.100.7772.00%-6.90%-3.46%
BDL
FLANIGANS ENTERPRISES INC
$59.10M7.90%3.50%5.40%4.50%0.941.6926.10%2.50%3.22%
CHSN
CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING
$1.37M-1.70%-0.70%-0.37%-0.40%1.102.0040.90%-1.60%-0.72%
FAT
FAT BRANDS INC
$5.24MN/A-18.50%27.29%-8.10%-3.080.0324.70%-40.50%-16.90%
SDOT
SADOT GROUP INC
$4.05M-46.30%-11.60%-32.73%-19.20%2.380.971.40%-2.80%-1.68%
THCH
TH INTERNATIONAL LTD
$65.31MN/A-23.60%98.48%-22.70%-2.240.255.20%-25.20%-23.91%
GTIM
GOOD TIMES RESTAURANTS INC
$12.25M3.10%1.20%0.57%0.40%1.510.379.60%0.70%0.28%
REBN
REBORN COFFEE INC
$11.30MN/A-179.50%641.85%-219.00%-2.810.0855.50%-191.50%-169.19%
STKS
ONE GROUP HOSPITALITY INC
$67.19M-737.40%-9.70%0.77%0.50%-12.410.3516.70%-22.60%1.44%
GENK
GEN RESTAURANT GROUP INC
$68.52M-9.90%-0.60%-0.42%-0.20%14.800.337.40%-0.60%-0.39%
VSTD
VESTAND INC
$4.27M-152.60%-18.20%-19.30%-12.30%3.070.575.40%-23.80%-19.03%
TWNP
TWIN HOSPITALITY GROUP INC
$9.11MN/A-13.00%-50.90%-5.40%-6.610.0619.40%-20.20%-10.15%

Restaurant Stocks FAQ

What are the best restaurant stocks to buy right now in Feb 2026?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best restaurant stocks to buy right now are:

1. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)


Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) is the #1 top restaurant stock out of 55 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: A, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) has a Due Diligence Score of 44, which is 17 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 27.

ARCO passed 16 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Arcos Dorados Holdings has seen its stock return 4.34% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 14 percentage points.

2. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)


Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) is the #2 top restaurant stock out of 55 with a Zen Rating of C. Stocks with a rating of C have had an average return of +7.53% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: D, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) has a Due Diligence Score of 45, which is 18 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 27.

EAT passed 19 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Brinker International has seen its stock lose -13.58% over the past year, underperforming other restaurant stocks by -4 percentage points.

Brinker International has an average 1 year price target of $184.41, an upside of 16.92% from Brinker International's current stock price of $157.72.

Brinker International stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 17 analysts covering Brinker International, 58.82% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 11.76% have issued a Buy, 29.41% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Bjs Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI)


Bjs Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) is the #3 top restaurant stock out of 55 with a Zen Rating of C. Stocks with a rating of C have had an average return of +7.53% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Bjs Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Bjs Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) has a Due Diligence Score of 35, which is 8 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 27.

BJRI passed 14 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Bjs Restaurants has seen its stock return 13.52% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 23 percentage points.

Bjs Restaurants has an average 1 year price target of $39.75, a downside of -4.95% from Bjs Restaurants's current stock price of $41.82.

Bjs Restaurants stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 4 analysts covering Bjs Restaurants, 50% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 25% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 25% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the restaurant stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 20 restaurant stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 restaurant stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)


Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN) has an annual dividend yield of 8.6%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.04%. Wendy's Co's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% two times in the last 10 years. Wendy's Co's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Wendy's Co's dividend payout ratio of 82.1% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

2. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)


Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA) has an annual dividend yield of 7.85%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.04%.

3. Dine Brands Global (NYSE:DIN)


Dine Brands Global (NYSE:DIN) has an annual dividend yield of 5%, which is 2 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.04%. Dine Brands Global's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% three times in the last 10 years. Dine Brands Global's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Dine Brands Global's dividend payout ratio of 91.1% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are restaurant stocks down?

Restaurant stocks were down -0.66% in the last day, and down -5.13% over the last week.

We couldn't find a catalyst for why restaurant stocks are down.

What are the most undervalued restaurant stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued restaurant stocks right now are:

1. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)


Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN) is the most undervalued restaurant stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Wendy's Co has a valuation score of 43, which is 16 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 27. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Wendy's Co's stock has dropped -47.68% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -38 percentage points.

2. El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO)


El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO) is the second most undervalued restaurant stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

El Pollo Loco Holdings has a valuation score of 71, which is 44 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 27. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

El Pollo Loco Holdings's stock has dropped -15.02% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -6 percentage points.

3. Dine Brands Global (NYSE:DIN)


Dine Brands Global (NYSE:DIN) is the third most undervalued restaurant stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Dine Brands Global has a valuation score of 57, which is 30 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 27. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Dine Brands Global's stock has gained 11.91% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by 21 percentage points.

Are restaurant stocks a good buy now?

50% of restaurant stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect restaurant stocks to rise by 14.48% over the next year.

0% of restaurant stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 2.7% of restaurant stocks are rated B (Buy), 70.27% are rated C (Hold), 10.81% are rated D (Sell), and 16.22% are rated F (Strong Sell).

What is the average p/e ratio of the restaurants industry?

The average P/E ratio of the restaurants industry is 37.83x.
WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.