Restaurant Stocks Split as Brinker Gains 32% and Chipotle Falls 24%

Restaurant-company shares delivered sharply different returns through Oct. 22, with Brinker International up 32.46% and Chipotle Mexican Grill down 23.95%, as three operators prepare to report results next week.

From the Dec. 31, 2025, close to the Oct. 22, 2026, close, Darden Restaurants gained 18.23% and Restaurant Brands International (RBI) rose 11.99%. McDonald’s fell 17.34%. Starbucks gained 21.02%. These changes use closing share prices and exclude dividends; they do not identify what drove each company’s return.

Brinker closed at $190.11 on Oct. 22, compared with $143.52 at year-end. Darden finished at $217.56, up from $184.02, while RBI closed at $76.41, versus $68.23. McDonald’s ended at $252.63, down from $305.63, and Chipotle closed at $28.14, compared with $37.00.

Recent sales results varied among brands within the groups. Brinker’s fiscal 2026 fourth quarter, which ended June 24, 2026, recorded a 5.0% increase in comparable restaurant sales overall. Chili’s rose 5.6%, while Maggiano’s declined 2.5%. Brinker operates both chains.

RBI’s comparable sales increased 3.8% in the quarter ended June 30, 2026. Burger King’s U.S. comparable sales rose 8.5%, while Tim Hortons’ Canadian comparable sales increased 0.1%. RBI’s brands also include Popeyes and Firehouse Subs.

Darden’s fiscal 2027 first-quarter sales rose 5.1% to $3.2 billion for the quarter ended Aug. 30, 2026. On a fiscal-calendar basis, same-restaurant sales gained 6.2% at LongHorn Steakhouse and 1.1% at Olive Garden. Darden released the results Sept. 24 in its first-quarter update.

Brinker is scheduled to report first-quarter fiscal 2027 results before the market opens Wednesday, Oct. 28, with a call at 11 a.m. ET. Chipotle plans to release third-quarter results at about 4:10 p.m. ET that day, followed by a 4:30 p.m. call. RBI plans to release third-quarter results Thursday, Oct. 29, followed by an 8:30 a.m. ET call.