It’s been a challenging year thus far for the restaurant industry, with dollars typically allocated to entertainment and a Friday night out wrestling to steal priority from rising gas bills, elevated energy costs, and higher mortgage rates.
Some restaurants have resorted to discounting to drive traffic, while others have relied on menu innovation and limited-time offers vs. promotional activities to protect their already softening margins.
Those brands that are the most out of touch have continued to raise prices at a double-digit pace to ensure they maintain margins, with Chipotle (CMG) being one such offender. While this is likely to protect margins in the interim and allow the company to meet earnings estimates, it could backfire over the medium-term, with loyal customers feeling taken advantage of after being hit with consistent menu price increases in a recessionary environment.
Although this has made it difficult to invest in the sector, a few names are doing a great job navigating the current environment, and following recent share price weakness, they’ve slipped into undervalued territory.
One is a new breakfast chain that’s bucking the negative traffic trends in the casual dining space and enjoying industry-leading retention due to a key competitive advantage. The other is a pizza chain that’s enjoying strong unit growth, and while it’s having a tough year, annual EPS is forecasted to hit new all-time highs in FY2023 and FY2024.
Let’s take a look below: Continue reading "2 Restaurant Stocks In Undervalued Territory"
