Tracking the same-store sales of 23 major restaurant chains

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Q1 2026 saw some major brands recover from 2025’s bruising traffic trends. Chipotle returned to traffic growth in the quarter, while Starbucks’ turnaround seemed to gain momentum. But other brands like Pizza Hut and Papa Johns extended their same-store sales declines.

The slowdown at fast casual chains observed through much of last year ameliorated somewhat at least for Chipote and Cava — the latter returned to impressive comps growth after three quarters of relatively stagnant sales. Wingstop, however, reported continued sluggish same-store sales. Sweetgreen posted some of the worst same-store sales declines of any major chain in Q1, with a 12.8% drop. 

In QSR and casual dining, results were bifurcated, with segment leaders like Chili’s and McDonald’s continuing to post meaningful growth, while many competitors like Wendy’s and Pizza Hut, fell further behind.

Check out how 23 major brands have performed in the past eight quarters. These charts will be updated in subsequent quarters.

Burger King’s turnaround continued to gain steam, with the chain hitting its fourth-consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth at 5.8% in Q1. The brand’s long-term investments in store performance and marketing helped set the stage for successful menu innovation. This menu innovation,  in turn, was bolstered by the brand’s adroit marketing, which allowed it to make hay out of McDonald’s awkward CEO product demonstration video with a video of Burger King President Tom Curtis trying the Whopper.

Sister brand Popeyes, however, has something of an inverse of Burger King’s success, notching its fifth-consecutive same-store sales decline. On RBI’s earning call, the brand’s president, Peter Perdue, attributed its lackluster performance to an overreliance on complicated LTOs that detracted from its core menu items. This was exacerbated by a loss of the chain’s everyday value proposition. Going forward, RBI CEO Joshua Kobza said, Popeyes is increasing its field support and training to support operations, and will improve the production specifications for its core chicken tenders. 

At Yum Brands, Taco Bell continued its winning streak with 8% same-store sales growth. Taco Bell’s success was built on a continuation of its successful value- and LTO-based strategy, which continues to draw in price-sensitive consumers. 

KFC’s system sales declined 2%, and Yum announced it would stop reporting the specific comps performance of KFC U.S. because the brand’s home market accounts for only 12% of global sales. Restaurant Dive has removed KFC’s performance from the graphs above, but will continue to include an analysis of the chain’s sales performance in this tracker going forward because of its scale and brand power in the U.S.

The chicken chain created a global innovation pantry to allow it to redeploy successful LTOs from one market to another. At the end of the quarter, the chain launched new $7, $9 and $11 meal boxes in a clear adoption of Taco Bell’s successful menu strategy. 

McDonald’s 3.9% comps growth in Q1 was a slight moderation from its jump the prior quarter, but was still a solid performance for the brand. At its core, the chain’s value proposition — improved by the return of the Extra Value Meal — has helped it retain consumers despite price sensitivity. At the same time, the burger brand has leveraged marketing initiatives, like its promotion for Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters IP, to create new consumer occasions. 

The Golden Arches is continuing to strengthen its value proposition with a new value menu, the Under $3 Menu, debuting in April. While that had no impact on the chain’s Q1 same-store sales, it could help the brand sustain its momentum in the second quarter. 

It’s a sign of Wendy’s troubles that a 7.8% comps decline marked an improvement, but the brand’s anemic Q1 followed a truly dismal Q4. While its competitors in the burger sector have seen value and menu innovation sustain significant same-store sales increases, Wendy’s is looking for in-store tweaks to stop its slide. 

The brand is in the process of deploying label printers, which it says will improve order accuracy, and implementing new cleaning standards for restaurants. Those changes could help stabilize the chain’s performance while the longer term aspects of its Project Fresh turnaround plan take hold

Publicly traded coffee chains performed quite well in Q1 2026, with little sign of consumer pullback. Dutch Bros’ long winning streak continued with an 8.3% comps increase. The majority of that growth was attributable to growth in transactions, indicating strong demand for the brand. The drive-thru-heavy chain seems to have reached an inflection point, with its brand awareness doubling in 18 months. New food options at about 485 stores helped it compete during the morning daypart and establish itself as a part of more consumers’ morning routines, CEO Christine Barone said on an earnings call. 

That shift toward more habitual consumption is reflected in the strength of the chain’s loyalty program, which accounted for 74% of all transactions, William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia said in a research note.

Black Rock Coffee Bar saw its comps gains moderate somewhat to 5.2%, still quite a significant figure, according to its 10-Q. CEO Mark Davis said on an earnings call that the brand’s strength is spread fairly evenly across dayparts, and that growth in energy drinks and food helped insulate the chain against macroeconomic uncertainty. The chain is currently testing segmented, personalized offers for its loyalty members in select markets. Davis said the response has been significant. 

“In one case study, personalized segmentation more than doubled engagement, drove a nearly 100% increase in incremental spend and generated over 3x the incremental visits versus a blanket approach,” Davis said.

At Starbucks, the first three months of 2026 saw an acceleration of progress in the Back to Starbucks turnaround plan, with a 4.3% increase in traffic in its fiscal Q2. CEO Brian Niccol called the quarter a turning point for the chain, as efforts to return it to premium brand positioning, invest in store-level operations and remodel its storebase began to pay off. The quarter itself was a busy one for Starbucks, with a shift toward tiered loyalty and tests for new ordering channels at licensed locations.

As the coffee giant expands its remodel program out from a handful of core urban markets — New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago — it could see further gains in sales as consumers return to on-premise occasions and come to treat the chain’s locations more like neighborhood coffeehouses.

Domino’s same-store sales growth slowed during the first quarter to a positive 0.9%, which was lower than management expectations. The year started strong, but economic pressures increased and consumer sentiment reached “COVID-level lows,” CEO Russel Weiner said. Compared to other pizza delivery chains, Domino’s remained the strongest and franchisees remained profitable, he said, adding that as other competitors try to replicate Domino’s “renowned value,” they could face additional closures as these steep discounts would put additional pressure on franchisees. 

Papa Johns’ same-store sales woes continued into the first quarter with a 6.4% decline — the worst quarterly comp decline in several years. CEO Todd Penegor attributed the drop to lower customer acquisition, a trade down from large and more premium pizzas to smaller ones and a decrease in side and dessert orders. The company will focus on value options and menu innovation to drive sales. Penegor said Papa Johns’ overhaul strategy provides a balanced approach that goes beyond pricing and includes “meeting customers where they are,” improving store-level margins and supporting franchisees for long-term growth. 

Pizza Hut’s same-store sales slide continued into the first quarter with a 4% drop. Its same-store sales streak of declines began in Q4 2023. Its period of underperformance pushed Yum to evaluate Pizza Hut’s positioning and strategy, and the chain will close about 4% of its U.S. locations — roughly 250 units — over the next year. Yum is on track to complete its strategic review of Pizza Hut this year, which could include a sale of the brand, Yum CFO Ranjith Roy said during a May earnings call. 

“The objective of the review is to create value for Yum, Pizza Hut and its franchise partners by determining the optimal approach to capitalize on Pizza Hut's structural advantages, its strong brand equity, experienced franchise partners and meaningful scale,” Roy said

The fast casual segment, after a strong 2024, saw a notable slowdown in 2025, which continued into the end of the year. Wingstop’s 8.7% drop was its fourth-consecutive troubled sales quarter, but new openings offset the sales slide on a systemwide basis. The chain opened 97 net units, resulting in 17% unit growth during the quarter, CEO Michael Skipworth said during an earnings call. 

Consumer pullback and temporary store closures due to weather contributed to the comparable sales declines, Skipworth said. Low-income consumers have pulled back on spending due to rising gas prices related to the Iran War, but Skipworth expects consumer trends to normalize. 

Sweetgreen reported its worst decline in same-store sales ever during the first quarter as traffic fell by double-digits. Menu innovation, including its rollout of wraps and the launch of a Chicken Sesame Crunch Bowl, helped drive incremental traffic growth in April, CFO Jamie McConnell said during an earnings call. 

The chain is also testing a new menu pricing system that will provide better pricing clarity, which is expected to roll out in June, CEO Johnathan Neman said. Management expects same-store sales declines to moderate to a negative 4% during the second quarter. 

Chipotle’s traffic bounced back to positive during the first quarter as did comparable sales, which were up 0.5%. Chipotle benefited from its high-protein line, the return of Chicken Al Pastor and the launch of a limited-time Cilantro Lime sauce, which helped drive traffic. The chain said previously that it would increase the cadence of its LTO calendar to four offers, compared to two last year, to help drive traffic. 

Cava posted the strongest comparable sales growth during the first quarter with an increase of 9.7%, which included traffic growth of 6.8%. The company now expects its full-year same-stores sales to range from 4.5% to 6%, up from its previous prediction of 3% to 5%. CFO Tricia Tolivar said the chain's strong value proposition, which includes keeping prices below the consumer price index by 50%, has been helping attract consumers from all income cohorts and demographics. 

The chain is also leaning heavily on new store openings, with 75 to 77 new units expected this year. All of its 2026 stores will be built using its Project Soul image, which includes warmer tones, greenery, softer seating and a more inviting environment, all of which consumers and team members have responded positively to, Tolivar said. 

Shake Shack reported positive same-store sales and traffic during the first quarter. It also had its largest first-quarter unit growth gain with 17 new store openings. The chain revised its guidance for 2026 openings to between 60 and 65 from between 55 to 60. The company, which reached 679 units during the quarter, has had success in opening in new and underpenetrated markets, CEO Rob Lynch said in a shareholder letter.

Applebee’s focus on its 2 for $25 value platform and new menu innovation was a primary driver of sales as they resonated well with guests during the first quarter, Dine Brands CEO John Peyton said during a May earnings call. The chain also used high-impact target marketing to showcase its menu innovation while maintaining strong execution in restaurants, he added. The launch of its O-M-Cheese Burger in January resulted in strong interest and engagement due to its “compelling $11.99 price point and inclusion in our 2 for $25 value platform,” Peyton said. It has since become the highest-ordered burger on that platform. 

IHOP outperformed Black Box Intelligence sales and traffic metrics for the second-consecutive quarter, Peyton said. Value and product innovation, culture-driven marketing and improved guest experiences are helping build momentum at the chain, he said. During the first quarter, comparable sales were flat, with checks improving as the chain sees a better balance between everyday value and premium offerings. The chain continues to drive awareness over premium offerings and LTOs that can help drive average check. IHOP has improved table turn times by 6% compared to Q4 and guest complaints are down year over year, he said. 

First Watch, which reported its fifth-consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales, rolled out an updated core menu during February — the first significant update in over 10 years — after conducting comprehensive testing in 2025, CEO Chris Tomasso said during a May earnings call. The company added Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos and the Barbacoa Chilaquiles Breakfast Bowl, which were previously seasonal favorites. Both of these items are mixing higher than expectations and are high-margin entrees, Tomasso said. Menu enhancements are also helping drive a positive sales mix across fresh juices, shareables and add-ons. The chain also expanded the duration of its seasonal menu from 10 weeks to 20 weeks. 

Texas Roadhouse remains among the top-performing casual dining chains during the first quarter. It posted its highest same-store sales increase since Q4 2024, when its same-store sales grew by 7.8%. The company has been leaning heavily on technology, and its digital kitchen technologies are helping operators execute better with higher volumes of to-go orders without impacting the dine-in experience, CEO Gerald Morgan said during a May earnings call. The chain is also testing handheld tablets for servicers to input guest orders at the table, and that test will continue as it gathers feedback, he said. 

Outback Steakhouse remained in negative same-store sales territory, but only by less than 1%.

Traffic shifted back to negative — down by 240 basis points, CEO Mike Spanos said during an earnings call. The chain continued to see improvements in guest satisfaction and reorder intent scores after it improved its steak quality last November. Outback is seeing positive traffic and loyalty from its Aussie Three-Course offering with roughly 60% of its guests trading up from the $14.99 price point to higher tires of $17.99 and $29.99, Spanos said. 

Outback also rolled out a new server system, decreasing the tables per server ratio from six to one to four to one during peak periods, in April, and management expects to see improvements in hospitality throughout the second quarter. The chain is also working on store remodels and expects to touch nearly all of its stores by the end of 2028. 

Chili’s continued its same-store sales growth streak into its fiscal Q3 2026 with ongoing momentum driven by the chain’s improvements in food quality, hospitality and employee satisfaction. Menu development helped drive sales during the quarter, which will likely continue into the next fiscal quarter. Following the April 14 launch of its updated chicken sandwich, the chain was selling 161% more sandwiches compared to pre-launch. 

Olive Garden continued its streak of same-store sales gains during fiscal Q3, due to modest growth in catering, expansion of Uber Eats delivery and lighter portion lineup. However, traffic was down by 0.4% following the impact of January and February winter storms. Management originally anticipated a switch to warmer weather and less snow during the third quarter, cutting some value-oriented promotions from that quarter, but weather was harsher than anticipated. The company plans to extend its buy-one-take-one promotion by one week during fiscal Q4.