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 119th 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
$1.74B32.50%5.90%11.60%8.00%4.041.0312.30%4.50%7.58%
LOCO
EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS INC
$415.19M9.50%4.40%7.97%9.20%1.080.3231.90%5.40%8.58%
YUMC
YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC
$17.22B16.40%8.50%15.20%16.40%0.871.0517.60%7.90%11.00%
EAT
BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC
$6.22B134.20%17.00%28.23%16.70%6.250.3618.70%8.00%10.32%
MCD
MCDONALDS CORP
$220.78B-336.90%14.50%22.63%12.00%-34.230.9659.50%31.90%46.42%
BLMN
BLOOMIN' BRANDS INC
$460.23M2.30%0.30%1.17%0.70%8.500.3113.30%0.20%0.68%
DIN
DINE BRANDS GLOBAL INC
$342.34M-6.90%0.90%7.52%5.20%-7.340.9640.90%1.80%11.74%
BJRI
BJS RESTAURANTS INC
$744.02M13.20%4.80%6.28%4.00%1.770.4074.70%3.50%3.72%
CAKE
CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC
$2.73B37.10%4.70%6.98%4.20%6.470.5943.30%4.00%4.62%
DPZ
DOMINOS PIZZA INC
$12.07B-15.30%34.10%82.25%18.60%-1.441.6540.00%12.20%19.56%
NDLS
NOODLES & CO
$50.34MN/A-14.70%-15.81%-6.50%-6.780.3123.40%-8.60%-6.38%
SHAK
SHAKE SHACK INC
$3.78B9.10%2.50%4.29%3.40%2.561.7665.20%3.20%4.90%
DRI
DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC
$22.45B50.70%8.60%14.05%10.90%5.130.3921.60%8.70%11.32%
YUM
YUM BRANDS INC
$42.98B-20.60%21.50%38.59%17.10%-2.121.3546.20%19.00%31.39%
CCHH
CCH HOLDINGS LTD
$12.32MN/AN/AN/AN/A0.802.02N/AN/AN/A
BROS
DUTCH BROS INC
$8.34B12.40%2.80%4.57%3.70%3.101.4925.90%4.90%7.72%
RICK
RCI HOSPITALITY HOLDINGS INC
$175.87M4.00%1.80%5.95%5.80%1.290.8186.90%3.90%11.37%
BRCB
BLACK ROCK COFFEE BAR INC
$646.72MN/A0.00%3.28%2.50%5.071.0429.30%0.00%4.87%
CMG
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC
$41.69B47.00%16.80%25.74%16.50%2.181.2425.40%12.90%16.85%
SBUX
STARBUCKS CORP
$102.07B-17.20%4.20%13.52%6.70%-4.841.0568.10%3.60%7.44%
QSR
RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC
$25.61B23.10%3.00%7.81%8.90%5.630.9848.20%8.20%18.81%
CHA
CHAGEE HOLDINGS LTD
$1.77B16.80%10.90%18.61%141.30%0.533.1145.80%8.80%12.42%
FWRG
FIRST WATCH RESTAURANT GROUP INC
$640.73M3.20%1.20%1.83%1.60%1.780.2920.20%1.60%2.36%
HCHL
HAPPY CITY HOLDINGS LTD
$29.39M-173.00%-32.40%-73.52%-48.80%2.630.8312.60%-35.70%-32.72%
WING
WINGSTOP INC
$4.26B-24.50%24.70%44.64%17.90%-1.943.2686.20%25.00%39.17%
PZZA
PAPA JOHNS INTERNATIONAL INC
$1.06B-6.80%3.40%16.02%6.10%-2.860.8220.70%1.40%4.26%
RRGB
RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS INC
$52.96MN/A-4.00%0.80%0.30%-6.300.4514.20%-1.90%0.24%
JACK
JACK IN THE BOX INC
$184.08MN/A-4.80%-4.08%-1.40%-3.160.6628.70%-8.70%-5.07%
BH
BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC
$756.18M-6.70%-3.90%-3.92%-4.10%0.962.4337.80%-9.50%-8.61%
TXRH
TEXAS ROADHOUSE INC
$10.89B28.20%12.20%17.87%15.30%1.420.5017.50%6.90%8.03%
CAVA
CAVA GROUP INC
$9.41B8.40%4.90%5.91%5.50%0.742.6524.60%5.40%6.00%
WEN
WENDY's CO
$1.32B140.60%3.30%7.68%5.70%41.231.7638.40%7.60%16.25%
PTLO
PORTILLO's INC
$399.44M4.30%1.20%3.20%3.30%2.370.2721.60%2.60%6.17%
CNNE
CANNAE HOLDINGS INC
$526.71M-38.50%-30.60%-41.00%-31.40%0.322.0715.50%-121.20%-115.27%
VENU
VENU HOLDING CORP
$141.83M-43.80%-17.80%-13.42%-17.00%0.892.0235.20%-239.30%-216.69%
CBRL
CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE INC
$628.29M-0.90%-0.20%-0.68%-0.40%3.940.4968.70%-0.10%-0.31%
KRUS
KURA SUSHI USA INC
$845.26M-1.80%-0.90%-0.93%-0.70%0.941.6111.00%-1.40%-1.29%
SG
SWEETGREEN INC
$616.55M-33.40%-16.40%-20.02%-15.70%1.211.0915.20%-19.70%-19.72%
THCH
TH INTERNATIONAL LTD
$66.94MN/A-23.60%98.48%-22.70%-2.240.255.20%-25.20%-23.91%
BDL
FLANIGANS ENTERPRISES INC
$57.62M8.90%4.10%6.11%5.10%0.941.6526.40%2.80%3.59%
STKS
ONE GROUP HOSPITALITY INC
$55.62MN/A-13.70%1.24%0.80%-10.190.4317.30%-15.60%1.16%
GENK
GEN RESTAURANT GROUP INC
$64.53M-22.60%-1.20%-1.81%-1.00%18.510.425.20%-1.40%-1.75%
GTIM
GOOD TIMES RESTAURANTS INC
$12.35M3.20%1.20%0.70%0.50%1.460.459.90%0.80%0.34%
MB
MASTERBEEF GROUP
$100.81M-75.30%-12.00%-14.63%-13.50%3.831.6065.40%-8.00%-5.67%
RAVE
RAVE RESTAURANT GROUP INC
$37.66M19.70%17.10%21.93%25.00%0.138.5073.00%23.00%28.39%
SDOT
SADOT GROUP INC
$1.99M-46.30%-11.60%-32.73%-19.20%2.380.971.40%-2.80%-1.68%
REBN
REBORN COFFEE INC
$11.77MN/A-179.50%641.85%-219.00%-2.810.0855.50%-191.50%-169.19%
VSTD
VESTAND INC
$3.76M-152.60%-18.20%-19.30%-12.30%3.070.575.40%-23.80%-19.03%
NATH
NATHANS FAMOUS INC
$412.43M-182.40%37.20%94.17%49.80%-4.342.7330.70%13.60%20.80%
BTBD
BT BRANDS INC
$10.77M-13.30%-8.10%-4.57%-4.20%0.556.8018.20%-6.70%-3.57%
HDL
SUPER HI INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LTD
$946.84M9.60%5.10%10.19%10.90%0.912.4126.10%4.30%7.26%
CHSN
CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING
$1.87M-1.70%-0.70%-0.37%-0.40%1.102.0040.90%-1.60%-0.72%
ARKR
ARK RESTAURANTS CORP
$23.66M-39.50%-10.10%-7.75%-4.60%2.890.7672.10%-8.50%-5.26%

Restaurant Stocks FAQ

What are the best restaurant stocks to buy right now in Apr 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 53 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: A, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) has a Due Diligence Score of 46, which is 17 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 29.

ARCO passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Arcos Dorados Holdings has seen its stock return 2.36% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 11 percentage points.

2. El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO)


El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO) is the #2 top restaurant stock out of 53 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 El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: A, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO) has a Due Diligence Score of 28, which is -1 points lower than the restaurant industry average of 29. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates LOCO as a "B".

LOCO passed 9 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. El Pollo Loco Holdings has seen its stock return 34.56% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 43 percentage points.

El Pollo Loco Holdings has an average 1 year price target of $13.50, a downside of -2.6% from El Pollo Loco Holdings's current stock price of $13.86.

El Pollo Loco Holdings stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 3 analysts covering El Pollo Loco Holdings, 66.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 33.33% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)


Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC) is the #3 top restaurant stock out of 53 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 Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: D, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC) has a Due Diligence Score of 40, which is 11 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 29.

YUMC passed 14 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Yum China Holdings has seen its stock lose -6.3% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 2 percentage points.

What are the restaurant stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 22 restaurant stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 restaurant stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)


Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) has an annual dividend yield of N/A, which is N/A percentage points lower than the restaurant industry average of 3.32%. Jack In The Box's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Jack In The Box's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Jack In The Box's dividend payout ratio of -7.2% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)


Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA) has an annual dividend yield of 9.88%, which is 7 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.32%.

Chagee Holdings's dividend payout ratio of 14.7% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)


Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN) has an annual dividend yield of 8.06%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.32%. 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 78.8% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are restaurant stocks up?

Restaurant stocks were up 2.21% in the last day, and down -1.44% over the last week.

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

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. Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN)


Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) 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.

Bloomin' Brands has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Bloomin' Brands's stock has dropped -24.69% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -16 percentage points.

2. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)


Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) 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.

Arcos Dorados Holdings has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Arcos Dorados Holdings's stock has gained 2.36% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by 11 percentage points.

3. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)


Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) is the third most undervalued restaurant stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Jack In The Box has a valuation score of 29, which is -2 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 31. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates JACK a Valuation Rating of "B".

Jack In The Box's stock has dropped -64.44% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -56 percentage points.

Are restaurant stocks a good buy now?

37.5% of restaurant stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect restaurant stocks to rise by 25.95% over the next year.

0% of restaurant stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 7.89% of restaurant stocks are rated B (Buy), 68.42% are rated C (Hold), 13.16% are rated D (Sell), and 10.53% 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 37.19x.
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.