Restaurant stocks have diverged in 2026: Brinker International, Darden Restaurants and Restaurant Brands International, which each own multiple chains, are up roughly 32%, 18% and 12% year to date, while single-chain companies such as McDonald's, Chipotle, Cava, Wendy's, Shake Shack and Domino's have fallen, several by double digits. Analysts say a multi-brand portfolio can cushion a weak concept, though it depends on another chain being strong enough to pick up the slack. In Darden's latest quarter, LongHorn Steakhouse comparable sales rose 6.2% versus 1.1% for Olive Garden, while at Restaurant Brands, Burger King's U.S. comparable sales accelerated to 8.5% and Tim Hortons' Canadian comparable sales slowed to 0.1%. Investors will see how multi-chain operations affect performance when major restaurant companies report quarterly results starting next week.
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