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Q1 2025 marked one of the worst quarters that restaurant chains experienced since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of dining room lockdowns, brands are facing consumer uncertainty that is dragging down traffic. Even stalwarts like Chipotle, which had a long streak of positive same-store sales, saw sales take a hit

From Applebee’s to Starbucks, publicly traded chains have implemented a wide range of strategies in the past nine quarters to boost same-store sales and traffic 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, while other casual chains continue to experience a sales slump. 

Check out how 21 major brands have performed in the past eight quarters. These charts will be updated in subsequent quarters.

McDonald’s posted its steepest decline in same-store sales  since Q2 2020 during the first quarter. The chain said low- and middle-income consumers pulled back on spending during the quarter. 

Yum reported divergent results between Taco Bell and KFC over the last couple of years. Taco Bell continued its positive same-store sales streak thanks to its aggressive value strategy and new premium dishes. KFC’s same-store sales remained negative, but the chain is looking into expanding its Saucy by KFC concept after it performed well. 

Restaurant Brand International’s keystone U.S. brands, Popeyes and Burger King, both saw relatively strong same-store sales growth in 2023 that evaporated in 2024 and hasn’t improved much this year. Burger King made gains on its value proposition with its $5 duos and $7 trios during the quarter, alongside its Steakhouse Bacon Whopper, which achieved one of the chain's “highest product satisfaction scores to date,” RBI CEO Josh Kobza said during an earnings call. Popeyes continues to remodel restaurants with kitchen upgrades that can boost profitability. 

Wendy’s same-store sales decreased for the first time in several years, but the decline was not as steep as McDonald’s. The chain is boosting tech innovation and will roll out drive-thru-automated ordering and digital menu boards to over 500 restaurants by the end of the year. That tech can boost check by upselling or interacting with customers. 

Starbucks has seen some of the worst traffic drop-offs of any major, publicly traded QSR, with same-store sales falling due to traffic decreases for five straight 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.

All three large pizza delivery chains' same-store sales were negative in the first quarter, and Domino’s broke a 10-quarter streak of positive U.S. comp sales with a 0.5% decline in comp sales. Despite a challenging quarter, Domino’s expects U.S. comp sales to be up 3% for the year with a slower first half of the year, CFO Sandeep Reddy said during an earnings call. 

Domino’s expects Parmesan Stuffed Crust pizza, which launched in early March, to have more of a meaningful impact on sales later in the year as it was too early to impact the first quarter, CEO Russel Weiner said. The company also expects its third-party delivery rollout with DoorDash, which it began in May, to be completed by the end of the second quarter to have a meaningful impact toward the end of the year. 

While Papa Johns’ comp sales were down by 3%, this was an improvement compared to the fourth quarter, which saw a 4% drop. Following Todd Penegor’s strategy of refocusing on the chain’s core pizza menu and improving its value proposition, the chain is seeing a 4% increase in pizza orders compared to last year, Penegor said during an earnings call. 

Pizza Hut’s comparable sales decline was impacted by the “intense competitive environment,” Yum CEO David Gibbs said during an earnings call. It focused on group occasions with its Stuffed Crust and Wings promotion and Ultimate Hut Bundle — those boosted checks and brought in new customers. Going forward, Pizza Hut will continue to emphasize group occasions; everyday value, like its $7 Deal; and menu innovation to become more competitive.

Some brands in the fast casual segment struggled with same-store sales growth during the first quarter amid a pullback in consumer spending. Chipotle posted its first same-store sales decline since Q2 2020, while Sweetgreen’s comparable sales slid 3.1%, its first decline since it became a public company. In the past few months, the chain released new menu items that could help drive traffic, including protein plates, steak and Ripple Fries, but Sweetgreen still expects same-store sales growth to be roughly flat for the year. 

Chipotle will serve additional LTOs this year after releasing Chipotle Honey Chicken in March, which is already outpacing last year’s Chicken Al Pastor. LTOs have helped drive traffic and sales at the burrito giant in the past.

Wingstop’s comps grew less than 1%, quite slow compared to previous quarters of double-digit growth. Shake Shack and Potbelly also had growth of less than 1%, but have aggressive unit count goals for the year. Potbelly, which opened four units last quarter, is on its way to opening nearly 40 units this year. Shake Shack is planning to open a flagship restaurant and second support center in Atlanta that will help the chain fulfill its 1,500-unit count goal. 

Cava was definitely the exception to its peers, continuing a positive same-store sales streak it has held at least since it went public in 2023. The brand also posted guest traffic growth during the quarter of 7.5%. The chain has had very strong openings, and its revenue increased by 28.2% during the quarter, primarily because of the net 73 new restaurants it has opened since the start of 2024. Those stores are generally performing above the company’s expectations. The company also surpassed $1 billion in revenue on a trailing 12-month basis.

Applebee’s continued its streak of negative same-store sales growth for an eighth quarter with a 2.2% fall, but parent company Dine Brands is planning to remodel several company-owned locations this year and is finalizing a new store prototype. Dine is also co-branding some units with sister brand IHOP, even as Applebee’s footprint shrinks. IHOP has only suffered five consecutive quarters of same-store sales drops, and its store network grew until 2023 before stagnating. 

Denny’s posted one of the steepest declines in its cohort with negative 3% same-store sales, but it has seen improvements to its value proposition following the return of its $2, $4, $6, $8 value menu. The diner chain is still challenged by low store volumes, prompting closures and remodels intended to lift traffic and sales. 

Olive Garden has posted two quarters of same-store sales growth. It saw a boost in sales and traffic with the launch of Fan Favorites during fiscal Q3 2025. The brand also completed the rollout of Uber Direct across its system, which management expects will be a sales driver over time.  

Chili’s is the outlier among publicly traded competitors, with same-store sales gains of over 31% in Q3 2025. Value-focused marketing fueled a traffic spike of nearly 21% for the period, but its sunny performance was hard won — its turnaround efforts took seven quarters to return traffic to the green.