Sectors & Industries Consumer CyclicalRestaurants
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

Overview Zen Rating Price Value Growth Financials

Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Restaurants is Zen Rated F and is the 124th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	ROE	ROA	ROCE	ROIC	D/E	Current Ratio	Gross Margin	Profit Margin	Operating Margin
ARCO	ARCOS DORADOS HOLDINGS INC	$1.77B	41.80%	7.40%	12.40%	8.40%	3.79	0.89	12.40%	5.40%	7.71%
YUMC	YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC	$18.48B	16.40%	8.50%	15.20%	16.40%	0.87	1.05	17.60%	7.90%	11.00%
EAT	BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC	$6.01B	134.20%	17.00%	28.23%	16.70%	6.25	0.36	18.70%	8.00%	10.32%
RICK	RCI HOSPITALITY HOLDINGS INC	$210.86M	6.20%	2.80%	6.54%	6.50%	1.22	0.92	86.80%	5.90%	12.73%
LOCO	EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS INC	$334.90M	9.60%	4.30%	7.65%	8.80%	1.13	0.41	31.60%	5.40%	8.48%
DPZ	DOMINOS PIZZA INC	$13.67B	-15.30%	34.10%	82.25%	18.60%	-1.44	1.65	40.00%	12.20%	19.56%
BLMN	BLOOMIN' BRANDS INC	$559.95M	2.30%	0.30%	1.17%	0.70%	8.50	0.31	13.30%	0.20%	0.68%
MCD	MCDONALDS CORP	$235.67B	-336.90%	14.50%	22.63%	12.00%	-34.23	0.96	59.50%	31.90%	46.42%
DIN	DINE BRANDS GLOBAL INC	$407.31M	-6.90%	0.90%	7.52%	5.20%	-7.34	0.96	40.90%	1.80%	11.74%
BJRI	BJS RESTAURANTS INC	$745.29M	13.20%	4.80%	6.28%	4.00%	1.77	0.40	74.70%	3.50%	3.72%
CAKE	CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC	$3.19B	37.10%	4.70%	6.98%	4.20%	6.47	0.59	43.30%	4.00%	4.62%
BRCB	BLACK ROCK COFFEE BAR INC	$811.91M	N/A	0.00%	3.28%	2.50%	5.07	1.04	29.30%	0.00%	4.87%
QSR	RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC	$24.73B	23.10%	3.00%	7.81%	8.90%	5.63	0.98	48.20%	8.20%	18.81%
YUM	YUM BRANDS INC	$43.95B	-20.60%	21.50%	38.59%	17.10%	-2.12	1.35	46.20%	19.00%	31.39%
CCHH	CCH HOLDINGS LTD	$21.95M	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.80	2.02	N/A	N/A	N/A
BROS	DUTCH BROS INC	$8.67B	12.40%	2.80%	4.57%	3.70%	3.10	1.49	25.90%	4.90%	7.72%
CHA	CHAGEE HOLDINGS LTD	$2.01B	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.38	4.22	N/A	N/A	N/A
SBUX	STARBUCKS CORP	$110.68B	-17.20%	4.20%	13.52%	6.70%	-4.84	1.05	68.10%	3.60%	7.44%
RRGB	RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS INC	$82.42M	N/A	-4.00%	0.80%	0.30%	-6.30	0.45	14.20%	-1.90%	0.24%
HCHL	HAPPY CITY HOLDINGS LTD	$19.60M	-173.00%	-32.40%	-73.52%	-48.80%	2.63	0.83	12.60%	-35.70%	-32.72%
DRI	DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC	$23.42B	50.90%	8.80%	14.19%	11.00%	5.22	0.39	21.60%	8.90%	11.61%
CMG	CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC	$47.81B	47.00%	16.80%	25.74%	16.50%	2.18	1.24	25.40%	12.90%	16.85%
PZZA	PAPA JOHNS INTERNATIONAL INC	$1.01B	-6.80%	3.40%	16.02%	6.10%	-2.86	0.82	20.70%	1.40%	4.26%
JACK	JACK IN THE BOX INC	$287.82M	N/A	-4.80%	-4.08%	-1.40%	-3.16	0.66	28.70%	-8.70%	-5.07%
BH	BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC	$793.88M	-6.70%	-3.90%	-3.92%	-4.10%	0.96	2.43	37.80%	-9.50%	-8.61%
SHAK	SHAKE SHACK INC	$4.16B	9.10%	2.50%	4.29%	3.40%	2.56	1.76	65.20%	3.20%	4.90%
FWRG	FIRST WATCH RESTAURANT GROUP INC	$731.21M	3.20%	1.20%	1.83%	1.60%	1.78	0.29	20.20%	1.60%	2.36%
TXRH	TEXAS ROADHOUSE INC	$11.78B	28.20%	12.20%	17.87%	15.30%	1.42	0.50	17.50%	6.90%	8.03%
WING	WINGSTOP INC	$6.58B	-24.50%	24.70%	44.64%	17.90%	-1.94	3.26	86.20%	25.00%	39.17%
NDLS	NOODLES & CO	$38.76M	N/A	-14.90%	-16.60%	-6.90%	-8.21	0.34	22.90%	-9.20%	-7.05%
WEN	WENDY's CO	$1.36B	140.60%	3.30%	7.68%	5.70%	41.23	1.76	38.40%	7.60%	16.25%
CNNE	CANNAE HOLDINGS INC	$544.78M	-38.50%	-30.60%	-41.00%	-31.40%	0.32	2.07	15.50%	-121.20%	-115.27%
CAVA	CAVA GROUP INC	$9.25B	8.40%	4.90%	5.91%	5.50%	0.74	2.65	24.60%	5.40%	6.00%
VENU	VENU HOLDING CORP	$221.52M	-43.80%	-17.80%	-13.42%	-17.00%	0.89	2.02	35.20%	-239.30%	-216.69%
PTLO	PORTILLO's INC	$390.38M	4.30%	1.20%	3.20%	3.30%	2.37	0.27	21.60%	2.60%	6.17%
CBRL	CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE INC	$684.39M	-0.90%	-0.20%	-0.68%	-0.40%	3.94	0.49	68.70%	-0.10%	-0.31%
KRUS	KURA SUSHI USA INC	$814.74M	-1.80%	-0.90%	-0.93%	-0.70%	0.94	1.61	11.00%	-1.40%	-1.29%
SG	SWEETGREEN INC	$656.94M	-33.40%	-16.40%	-20.02%	-15.70%	1.21	1.09	15.20%	-19.70%	-19.72%
THCH	TH INTERNATIONAL LTD	$65.31M	N/A	-23.60%	98.48%	-22.70%	-2.24	0.25	5.20%	-25.20%	-23.91%
BDL	FLANIGANS ENTERPRISES INC	$63.19M	8.90%	4.10%	6.11%	5.10%	0.94	1.65	26.40%	2.80%	3.59%
STKS	ONE GROUP HOSPITALITY INC	$62.21M	-737.40%	-9.70%	0.77%	0.50%	-12.41	0.35	16.70%	-22.60%	1.44%
GENK	GEN RESTAURANT GROUP INC	$62.59M	-9.90%	-0.60%	-0.42%	-0.20%	14.80	0.33	7.40%	-0.60%	-0.39%
GTIM	GOOD TIMES RESTAURANTS INC	$12.78M	3.20%	1.20%	0.70%	0.50%	1.46	0.45	9.90%	0.80%	0.34%
MB	MASTERBEEF GROUP	$91.97M	-75.30%	-12.00%	-14.63%	-13.50%	3.83	1.60	65.40%	-8.00%	-5.67%
RAVE	RAVE RESTAURANT GROUP INC	$39.37M	19.70%	17.10%	21.93%	25.00%	0.13	8.50	73.00%	23.00%	28.39%
SDOT	SADOT GROUP INC	$2.80M	-46.30%	-11.60%	-32.73%	-19.20%	2.38	0.97	1.40%	-2.80%	-1.68%
REBN	REBORN COFFEE INC	$10.16M	N/A	-179.50%	641.85%	-219.00%	-2.81	0.08	55.50%	-191.50%	-169.19%
VSTD	VESTAND INC	$3.98M	-152.60%	-18.20%	-19.30%	-12.30%	3.07	0.57	5.40%	-23.80%	-19.03%
NATH	NATHANS FAMOUS INC	$411.90M	-182.40%	37.20%	94.17%	49.80%	-4.34	2.73	30.70%	13.60%	20.80%
BTBD	BT BRANDS INC	$8.06M	-13.30%	-8.10%	-4.57%	-4.20%	0.55	6.80	18.20%	-6.70%	-3.57%
HDL	SUPER HI INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LTD	$1.11B	5.60%	6.30%	21.15%	24.20%	-0.11	1.89	26.20%	2.50%	5.32%
CHSN	CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING	$1.29M	-1.70%	-0.70%	-0.37%	-0.40%	1.10	2.00	40.90%	-1.60%	-0.72%
ARKR	ARK RESTAURANTS CORP	$25.21M	-39.50%	-10.10%	-7.75%	-4.60%	2.89	0.76	72.10%	-8.50%	-5.26%

Restaurant Stocks FAQ

What are the best restaurant stocks to buy right now in Mar 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: 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 16 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 28.

ARCO passed 16 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Arcos Dorados Holdings has seen its stock return 10.25% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 14 percentage points.

2. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)

Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC) 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 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 28, which is equal to the restaurant industry average of 28.

YUMC passed 11 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Yum China Holdings has seen its stock return 7.23% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 11 percentage points.

3. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) is the #3 top restaurant stock out of 53 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 17 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 28.

EAT passed 19 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Brinker International has seen its stock lose -9.56% over the past year, underperforming other restaurant stocks by -5 percentage points.

Brinker International has an average 1 year price target of $183.80, an upside of 33.25% from Brinker International's current stock price of $137.94.

Brinker International stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 15 analysts covering Brinker International, 66.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 6.67% have issued a Buy, 26.67% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% 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. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)

Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA) has an annual dividend yield of 8.7%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.15%.

2. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN) has an annual dividend yield of 7.83%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.15%. 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.

3. Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) has an annual dividend yield of 5.97%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.15%. Papa Johns International's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Papa Johns International's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio of 204.4% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are restaurant stocks down?

Restaurant stocks were down -0.29% in the last day, and down -2.5% over the last week. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store was the among the top losers in the restaurants industry, dropping -0.29% yesterday.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 financial results. Also, the company narrowed its FY26 sales guidance towards the upper end of its guidance range.

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 B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Bloomin' Brands has a valuation score of 43, which is 14 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 29. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Bloomin' Brands's stock has dropped -20.27% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -16 percentage points.

2. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) is the second 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 0 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 29. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Jack In The Box's stock has dropped -58.16% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -54 percentage points.

3. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) 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.

Brinker International has a valuation score of 43, which is 14 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 29. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Brinker International's stock has dropped -9.56% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -5 percentage points.

Are restaurant stocks a good buy now?

43.75% of restaurant stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect restaurant stocks to rise by 15.26% over the next year.

0% of restaurant stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 5.26% of restaurant stocks are rated B (Buy), 63.16% are rated C (Hold), 23.68% are rated D (Sell), and 7.89% 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 39.78x.

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.

Sectors & Industries Consumer CyclicalRestaurants
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.

Restaurant Stocks FAQ

1. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)

2. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)

3. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

1. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)

2. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

3. Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA)

1. Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN)

2. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

3. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

Company

Stock Tools

Stock Ideas

Sectors & IndustriesConsumer CyclicalRestaurantsBest 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.

Restaurant Stocks FAQ

1. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)

2. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)

3. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

1. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)

2. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

3. Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA)

1. Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN)

2. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

3. Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

Company

Stock Tools

Stock Ideas

Sectors & Industries Consumer CyclicalRestaurants
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.