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

Value Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Restaurants is Zen Rated D and is the 116th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Price	1d %	1w %	1m %	3m %	6m %	1y %	3y %	5y %	10y %	52-week High	52-week Low	% off 52-week High	% off 52-week Low	Beta	Volume	Vol 1d %
LOCO	EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS INC	$13.95	1.53%	0.50%	0.72%	28.22%	48.40%	47.31%	53.30%	-19.32%	-1.90%	$14.50	$8.29	3.79%	68.28%	0.81	190,000	3.26%
ARCO	ARCOS DORADOS HOLDINGS INC	$8.96	3.34%	5.41%	13.85%	20.92%	28.00%	20.11%	10.89%	67.66%	127.93%	$9.03	$6.51	0.78%	37.63%	0.79	1,011,000	29.45%
YUMC	YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC	$48.55	0.02%	-2.43%	-10.09%	2.34%	10.79%	17.36%	-23.71%	-18.44%	N/A	$58.39	$41.01	16.85%	18.39%	0.75	1,007,000	0.00%
EAT	BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC	$158.14	4.67%	1.94%	10.77%	-1.00%	23.69%	3.06%	325.34%	125.14%	231.95%	$187.12	$100.30	15.49%	57.67%	1.31	1,357,000	13.65%
MCD	MCDONALDS CORP	$311.36	1.43%	1.86%	-4.58%	2.81%	1.06%	0.02%	7.62%	34.32%	141.65%	$341.75	$283.47	8.89%	9.84%	0.40	2,262,000	26.23%
NDLS	NOODLES & CO	$9.16	7.26%	13.16%	37.74%	45.21%	85.50%	29.38%	-77.50%	-88.43%	-89.71%	$10.00	$3.57	8.40%	156.58%	1.25	33,700	-8.92%
CAKE	CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC	$62.68	4.05%	5.97%	7.92%	8.69%	16.14%	30.94%	91.45%	7.70%	22.28%	$69.70	$43.07	10.07%	45.53%	1.14	1,078,000	27.88%
QSR	RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC	$78.32	0.91%	2.53%	4.36%	14.70%	16.24%	23.88%	14.99%	18.24%	90.84%	$79.53	$61.33	1.52%	27.70%	0.59	2,812,000	-4.52%
YUM	YUM BRANDS INC	$162.79	2.05%	0.64%	-0.55%	6.26%	12.08%	13.59%	18.74%	38.30%	97.06%	$169.39	$137.33	3.90%	18.54%	0.56	897,000	-44.42%
BLMN	BLOOMIN' BRANDS INC	$6.73	5.16%	13.49%	18.28%	-9.79%	-9.18%	-15.35%	-72.45%	-76.40%	-62.47%	$10.70	$5.19	37.10%	29.67%	1.24	2,062,000	-35.14%
DPZ	DOMINOS PIZZA INC	$372.06	0.83%	1.67%	-6.09%	-4.02%	-10.62%	-20.29%	12.78%	-6.51%	168.34%	$499.08	$346.34	25.45%	7.43%	0.67	680,000	-4.49%
DRI	DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC	$201.07	2.24%	4.51%	-1.37%	-3.74%	6.84%	0.42%	32.50%	37.76%	210.34%	$228.27	$169.02	11.92%	18.96%	0.79	830,000	-16.83%
BJRI	BJS RESTAURANTS INC	$39.19	5.07%	4.79%	11.84%	-11.52%	27.82%	20.96%	41.48%	-35.12%	-9.05%	$47.02	$28.46	16.65%	37.70%	1.24	387,000	6.32%
DIN	DINE BRANDS GLOBAL INC	$29.65	6.01%	14.79%	3.49%	-19.43%	7.35%	46.56%	-55.18%	-68.06%	-67.78%	$39.68	$19.00	25.28%	56.05%	1.11	387,000	-19.54%
BROS	DUTCH BROS INC	$53.44	5.61%	-4.37%	4.19%	-12.98%	-2.68%	-8.29%	67.63%	N/A	N/A	$77.88	$44.58	31.38%	19.87%	1.64	5,945,000	8.27%
RICK	RCI HOSPITALITY HOLDINGS INC	$26.22	6.37%	8.48%	20.44%	8.17%	-2.46%	-30.10%	-65.20%	-59.08%	156.30%	$47.00	$20.76	44.21%	26.30%	1.24	97,000	177.14%
PZZA	PAPA JOHNS INTERNATIONAL INC	$37.46	1.52%	5.14%	5.40%	-1.58%	-27.98%	20.22%	-51.74%	-60.29%	-34.82%	$55.74	$29.55	32.80%	26.77%	0.85	1,109,000	69.05%
SBUX	STARBUCKS CORP	$100.00	1.67%	3.52%	2.49%	6.77%	17.15%	22.70%	-7.67%	-14.97%	64.23%	$104.82	$75.50	4.60%	32.45%	1.01	7,981,000	41.43%
SHAK	SHAKE SHACK INC	$103.73	3.99%	5.19%	14.62%	6.76%	12.52%	24.65%	87.75%	-5.85%	182.72%	$144.65	$76.51	28.29%	35.58%	1.53	1,489,000	28.69%
BRCB	BLACK ROCK COFFEE BAR INC	$14.94	4.77%	5.66%	-12.94%	-17.96%	-36.26%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$30.40	$11.51	50.86%	29.80%	2.28	332,000	56.60%
CHA	CHAGEE HOLDINGS LTD	$10.39	0.78%	5.70%	-7.81%	-14.06%	-34.98%	-67.97%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$39.47	$8.98	73.68%	15.70%	0.77	240,000	25.65%
FWRG	FIRST WATCH RESTAURANT GROUP INC	$12.75	5.46%	11.06%	1.11%	-21.78%	-28.85%	-34.92%	-13.85%	N/A	N/A	$20.55	$10.09	37.96%	26.36%	1.17	1,355,000	-8.14%
VENU	VENU HOLDING CORP	$4.45	6.21%	21.92%	20.92%	-47.02%	-66.13%	-45.67%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$18.16	$3.06	75.50%	45.42%	0.93	626,000	59.69%
RRGB	RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS INC	$3.95	3.00%	15.16%	18.26%	-1.50%	-39.51%	45.22%	-72.98%	-88.78%	-93.79%	$7.89	$2.46	49.90%	60.90%	1.36	711,000	23.65%
WING	WINGSTOP INC	$196.34	5.53%	9.14%	-0.88%	-27.35%	-23.62%	-10.28%	5.86%	42.60%	708.65%	$388.14	$142.24	49.42%	38.03%	1.28	1,130,000	-11.99%
JACK	JACK IN THE BOX INC	$12.98	5.02%	13.36%	3.84%	-37.20%	-23.94%	-44.10%	-85.30%	-89.32%	-81.10%	$29.40	$8.92	55.85%	45.60%	0.93	805,000	8.20%
CMG	CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC	$35.83	2.14%	5.10%	4.13%	-8.13%	-14.41%	-25.62%	0.93%	15.58%	289.37%	$58.42	$29.75	38.67%	20.44%	1.05	13,782,000	13.07%
TXRH	TEXAS ROADHOUSE INC	$165.08	3.21%	0.85%	-3.43%	-15.23%	-6.99%	1.97%	51.52%	68.74%	284.18%	$199.99	$156.00	17.46%	5.82%	0.89	1,212,000	12.33%
BH	BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC	$307.66	-2.30%	-5.59%	0.89%	-31.14%	-14.74%	39.83%	86.04%	127.66%	-17.20%	$483.60	$214.75	36.38%	43.26%	0.75	88,000	66.04%
CAVA	CAVA GROUP INC	$94.78	3.88%	11.58%	4.71%	37.26%	50.78%	10.21%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$101.50	$43.41	6.62%	118.34%	1.85	3,513,000	20.56%
WEN	WENDY's CO	$6.95	1.46%	0.87%	-0.86%	-14.93%	-21.73%	-45.19%	-68.45%	-69.27%	-36.70%	$13.06	$6.63	46.78%	4.83%	0.62	6,065,000	4.53%
KRUS	KURA SUSHI USA INC	$59.58	4.93%	7.82%	1.21%	-19.20%	-1.88%	1.85%	-9.32%	81.92%	N/A	$95.98	$42.62	37.92%	39.79%	1.74	446,000	-14.72%
PTLO	PORTILLO's INC	$5.91	5.72%	2.25%	1.55%	2.96%	0.17%	-48.74%	-71.09%	N/A	N/A	$13.55	$4.41	56.38%	34.01%	1.24	2,310,000	31.55%
CNNE	CANNAE HOLDINGS INC	$13.08	0.62%	4.98%	12.47%	-16.10%	-28.45%	-24.44%	-31.23%	-68.54%	N/A	$21.92	$10.46	40.33%	25.05%	1.22	447,000	25.92%
CBRL	CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE INC	$30.20	3.92%	6.38%	4.61%	-7.81%	-23.78%	-30.69%	-72.03%	-82.62%	-79.99%	$71.93	$24.85	58.01%	21.53%	1.01	1,321,000	42.97%
SG	SWEETGREEN INC	$6.87	5.21%	11.53%	20.95%	-1.72%	-6.02%	-62.82%	-13.69%	N/A	N/A	$21.04	$4.49	67.35%	53.01%	1.92	5,562,000	62.16%
THCH	TH INTERNATIONAL LTD	$2.10	-3.23%	3.45%	-4.11%	-9.09%	-15.32%	-22.79%	-91.65%	-95.74%	N/A	$3.25	$1.69	35.38%	24.63%	0.29	6,900	331.25%
BDL	FLANIGANS ENTERPRISES INC	$31.36	0.00%	-0.76%	-4.91%	-0.19%	-1.54%	33.45%	11.05%	24.25%	53.42%	$35.98	$22.61	12.84%	38.70%	0.20	150	-25.00%
STKS	ONE GROUP HOSPITALITY INC	$1.75	-1.13%	2.34%	0.57%	-25.37%	-32.43%	-37.05%	-79.39%	-80.43%	-31.37%	$5.26	$1.66	66.73%	5.42%	1.41	17,600	-12.87%
GENK	GEN RESTAURANT GROUP INC	$1.58	-0.63%	5.33%	-3.66%	-32.77%	-48.03%	-62.82%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5.26	$1.43	69.96%	10.49%	1.49	22,100	32.34%
GTIM	GOOD TIMES RESTAURANTS INC	$1.27	0.00%	0.79%	6.72%	11.40%	-11.19%	-33.16%	-50.97%	-72.09%	-68.64%	$2.09	$1.10	39.23%	15.45%	0.63	95,000	1,838.78%
HCHL	HAPPY CITY HOLDINGS LTD	$1.31	-1.50%	-17.09%	7.38%	-70.69%	-62.25%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7.25	$0.80	81.93%	63.75%	0.33	11,900	153.19%
MB	MASTERBEEF GROUP	$6.12	2.34%	7.18%	6.43%	-12.82%	-32.00%	98.70%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$16.40	$2.73	62.68%	124.18%	0.17	71,600	9,446.67%
RAVE	RAVE RESTAURANT GROUP INC	$2.47	4.22%	5.11%	-7.84%	-19.54%	-8.86%	8.81%	63.58%	94.49%	-52.86%	$3.75	$2.15	34.13%	14.88%	0.60	182,000	30.94%
SDOT	SADOT GROUP INC	$1.57	6.08%	-7.65%	-22.28%	-53.52%	-73.96%	-91.65%	-98.85%	-98.99%	N/A	$23.00	$1.17	93.17%	34.19%	1.05	5,500	-79.09%
REBN	REBORN COFFEE INC	$2.69	0.75%	2.67%	34.50%	43.85%	28.71%	-17.48%	-60.59%	N/A	N/A	$3.45	$1.37	22.03%	97.07%	1.06	57,000	-2.73%
VSTD	VESTAND INC	$0.37	-0.80%	19.74%	11.78%	12.12%	-69.92%	-88.21%	-86.67%	N/A	N/A	$4.64	$0.20	92.02%	83.17%	0.50	30,700	-56.76%
NATH	NATHANS FAMOUS INC	$101.79	0.73%	0.10%	1.16%	9.77%	-6.91%	8.31%	36.37%	57.33%	129.57%	$118.50	$88.67	14.10%	14.80%	0.52	17,200	19.44%
BTBD	BT BRANDS INC	$2.17	6.90%	33.95%	53.90%	45.64%	26.16%	97.27%	-7.66%	N/A	N/A	$5.60	$1.00	61.25%	117.00%	0.35	525,000	-37.94%
CCHH	CCH HOLDINGS LTD	$0.56	-0.88%	-6.67%	-18.60%	-2.27%	-88.59%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$15.38	$0.36	96.36%	55.56%	1.07	128,000	0.79%
HDL	SUPER HI INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LTD	$14.55	-5.27%	-1.69%	-7.91%	-12.45%	-20.71%	-24.79%	N/A	N/A	N/A	$23.62	$14.16	38.40%	2.75%	0.31	4,100	-19.61%
CHSN	CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING	$2.42	0.00%	-2.81%	-11.03%	13.08%	0.00%	-90.24%	-97.25%	N/A	N/A	$70.40	$1.50	96.56%	61.33%	1.01	11,600	0.00%
ARKR	ARK RESTAURANTS CORP	$7.03	-1.54%	3.38%	4.93%	8.15%	-1.68%	-16.59%	-59.53%	-63.95%	-65.04%	$12.60	$5.75	44.18%	22.35%	0.40	3,400	-72.13%

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. El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO)

El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO) 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 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 47.31% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 48 percentage points.

El Pollo Loco Holdings has an average 1 year price target of $13.50, a downside of -3.23% from El Pollo Loco Holdings's current stock price of $13.95.

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.

2. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)

Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) 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 Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: B.

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 20.11% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 21 percentage points.

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: B, 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 return 17.36% over the past year, overperforming other restaurant stocks by 18 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 3.1%. 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 8.85%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the restaurant industry average of 3.1%.

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 3.1%. 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 2.08% in the last day, and up 2.46% over the last week. Dutch Bros was the among the top gainers in the restaurants industry, gaining 5.61% yesterday.

Shares of restaurant and food related companies are trading higher after Iran signaled that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open for the duration of the ceasefire, easing concerns around energy costs and inflation risk.

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 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 -15.35% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -14 percentage points.

2. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN) 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.

Wendy's Co 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.

Wendy's Co's stock has dropped -45.19% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -44 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 0, which is -29 points higher than the restaurant industry average of 29. It passed 0 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 -44.1% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the restaurant industry by -43 percentage points.

Are restaurant stocks a good buy now?

40.63% of restaurant stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect restaurant stocks to rise by 16.27% over the next year.

0% of restaurant stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 8.33% of restaurant stocks are rated B (Buy), 75% are rated C (Hold), 11.11% are rated D (Sell), and 5.56% 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 40.88x.

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. El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO)

2. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)

3. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)

1. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

2. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)

3. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

1. Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN)

2. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

3. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

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. El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO)

2. Arcos Dorados Holdings (NYSE:ARCO)

3. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)

1. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

2. Chagee Holdings (NASDAQ:CHA)

3. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

1. Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN)

2. Wendy's Co (NASDAQ:WEN)

3. Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK)

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.