From Applebee’s to Starbucks, publicly traded chains have implemented a wide range of strategies in the past eight quarters to boost same-store sales in a time of high consumer price sensitivity.
Some of these efforts have already borne fruit: Chili’s same-store sales skyrocketed in the past few quarters. Other casual chains continue to experience a sales slump. Fast casual chains have maintained their momentum as demand continues to drive traffic and sales bumps, and QSR brands have generally posted mixed results.
Check out how 21 major restaurant brands in the QSR, fast casual, casual and pizza categories have performed in the past eight quarters. These charts will be updated on a quarerly basis.
Quick-service restaurant U.S. same-store sales
McDonald’s saw comps slip in Q2 2024, then turn positive after strong value messaging, though that gain was undone by an E. coli outbreak in October.
Yum Brands reported divergent results between Taco Bell and KFC over the last couple years. Powered by an aggressive value strategy and new premium dishes, Taco Bell has sustained steady same-store sales growth. At the same time, KFC has posted six consecutive quarters of flat or negative comps.
RBI’s keystone U.S. brands, Popeyes and Burger King, both saw relatively strong same-store sales growth in 2023 that evaporated in 2024. An insufficient focus on value drove Popeyes’ sales drop, and Burger King is looking to an aggressive remodeling schedule to generate long-awaited sales lifts at many stores. Popeyes is in the early phases of a similar program of remodeling and increased marketing.
Wendy’s has kept its same-store sales in the black, but only modestly in recent quarters. The burger brand outperformed McDonald’s comps growth for three consecutive quarters, and saw stronger sales growth than Burger King in two out of the last three quarters. Key to sustaining this in 2025 is an emphasis on menu innovation, especially in chicken and beverages, CEO Kirk Tanner has said.
Starbucks has seen some of the worst traffic slides of major, publicly traded QSRs, with same-store sales falling due to traffic decreases for several quarters. The company has had long-festering problems with brand positioning, and CEO Brian Niccol’s Back to Starbucks plan aims to return the chain to its coffeehouse roots.
Pizza delivery restaurant U.S. same-store sales
Domino’s has been the strongest of the major publicly traded pizza chains in the past eight quarters. But the business has struggled at times, and executives are looking for ways to extend their competitive lead, expanding into third-party delivery last year and adding stuffed crust pizza in March.
Pizza Hut, meanwhile, launched a major toppings overhaul in 2024, and is testing a new store with on-premise, experiential features and kiosks in an effort to improve its in-store service. Parent company Yum Brands is pursuing a wide-ranging tech strategy meant to benefit all of its brands, and Pizza Hut already uses a new kitchen display system to manage its orders as part of the system.
Papa Johns sees its core pizzas as the key weapon in its arsenal and is looking to make more of them. CEO Todd Penegor believes a greater emphasis on core menu items and core markets will help, and aims to turn existing market into fortresses from which it can move into adjacent territories.
Fast casual restaurant U.S. same-store sales
The fast casual segment continues to outperform the overall restaurant industry’s comparable sales and unit growth. Wingstop and Cava, which is in the early phases of testing in-store changes, remain top performers and reported double-digit same-store sales growth in each of the last four quarters. Chipotle continues to drive traffic and sales with popular limited-time officers, like its Smoked Brisket and Chicken Al Pastor.
In January, Shake Shack laid out a six-point strategic plan, which includes finding operational efficiencies and bolstering leadership, to help the chain reach its goal of 1,500 units. It also will open an innovation lab in Atlanta later this year to help it test different equipment and layouts.
Potbelly continues to grow its franchised store count; it could open nearly 40 units in 2025 using a prototype that’s 500 square feet smaller than its legacy restaurants. The brand has filled its development pipeline with up to 300 units in the U.S.
Casual restaurant U.S. same-store sales
Applebee’s has reported the steepest same-store sales declines of its cohort, with seven quarters of negative growth. The chain is trying to right the ship by aggressively remodeling stores and co-branding some units with sister brand IHOP, even as its footprint shrinks. IHOP has only suffered four consecutive quarters of same-store sales drops, and its store network grew until 2023 before stagnating.
Denny’s managed to post same-store sales growth last quarter, though it was a modest 1.1% gain. The diner chain is still challenged by low store volumes, prompting closures and remodels that are lifting traffic and sales. Olive Garden has seen six consecutive quarters of same-store sales slides. The Italian brand is trying to fight sluggish performance by improving speed of service and dining room ambiance, a playbook intended to challenge fast casual brands.
Chili’s is the outlier of its publicly traded competitors, with same-store sales gains of over 31% in Q2 2025. Value-focused marketing fueled a traffic spike of nearly 20% for the period, and its sunny performance was hard won — its turnaround efforts took seven quarters to return traffic to the green.
