earnings

Financing

Papa John’s sales accelerate even as more normalcy returns

The pizza chain's sales improved in September as consumers order more stuffed crust pizzas and Papadias while watching sports and entertainment.

Financing

Shake Shack is almost getting back to 2019 growth

The fast casual’s same-store sales remained down significantly over 2019, but have improved in October, with suburban restaurants soaring above all others.

The Bottom Line: The pizza chain’s sales have remained strong despite the labor shortage. Its ability to get help from aggregators like DoorDash and Uber Eats is one reason.

The chain’s sales have recovered from the pandemic and accelerated, while more than a quarter of them are for takeout and delivery.

The chain raised menu prices 4.2% as commodity inflation hit 14% in the third quarter, driven largely by beef.

The company says the wage increases it is planning to make next year will hurt margins. But executives say the investments are important as it expects customer count to return.

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