Papa John's jumps on Irth Capital offer, but ranks near bottom of restaurant peers

2026-03-11 16:39:58 ET

Papa John's ( PZZA ) closed up 19% after a report that Qatari-backed investment fund, Irth Capital Management, submitted a takeover offer....

In light of this, we looked at the SA Quant ratings of U.S. restaurants. Papa John's stands out among the lowest-rated restaurant stocks per Seeking Alpha's Quant Ratings, with a concerning score of 1.99 that places it firmly in "Sell" territory amid a crowded field of struggling peers.

The list is led by Sweetgreen ( SG ) at a dismal 1.20, followed by Cracker Barrel ( CBRL ) at 1.41, Portillo's ( PTLO ) at 1.44, First Watch ( FWRG ) at 1.46), and Serve Robotics (SERV, 1.63), with Krispy Kreme (DNUT, 1.85) and Wendy's (WEN, 1.91) also lagging before PZZA rounds out the single-digit club.

Seeking Alpha's Quant system evaluates these stocks on a 1-5 scale across valuation, growth, momentum, and profitability, where anything above 3.5 signals bullish potential and 2.5 or below warns of bearish risks.

Here is the full list of lowest-ranked restaurant stocks:

1. Sweetgreen, Inc. ( SG ), Quant Rating: 1.20

2. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ( CBRL ), Quant Rating: 1.41

3. Portillo’s Inc. ( PTLO ), Quant Rating: 1.44

4. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. ( FWRG ), Quant Rating: 1.46

5. Serve Robotics Inc. ( SERV ), Quant Rating: 1.63

6. Krispy Kreme, Inc. ( DNUT ), Quant Rating: 1.85

7. The Wendy’s Company ( WEN ), Quant Rating: 1.91

8. Papa John’s International, Inc. ( PZZA ), Quant Rating: 1.99

9. Super Hi International Holding Ltd. ( HDL ), Quant Rating: 2.56

10. Kura Sushi USA, Inc. ( KRUS ), Quant Rating: 2.59

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