As the Q4 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the modern fast food industry, including Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK) and its peers.

Modern fast food is a relatively newer category representing a middle ground between traditional fast food and sit-down restaurants. These establishments feature an expanded menu selection priced above traditional fast food options, often incorporating fresher and cleaner ingredients to serve customers prioritizing quality. These eateries are capitalizing on the perception that your drive-through burger and fries joint is detrimental to your health because of inferior ingredients.

The 7 modern fast food stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues along with next quarter’s revenue guidance were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 11.3% since the latest earnings results.

Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK)

Started as a hot dog cart in New York City's Madison Square Park, Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK) is a fast-food restaurant known for its burgers and milkshakes.

Shake Shack reported revenues of $328.7 million, up 14.8% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with a decent beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 18% since reporting and currently trades at $91.11.

Is now the time to buy Shake Shack? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Potbelly (NASDAQ:PBPB)

With a unique origin story where the company actually started as an antique shop, Potbelly (NASDAQ:PBPB) today is a chain known for its toasty sandwiches.

Potbelly reported revenues of $116.6 million, down 7.3% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had a very strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 15.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $10.

Is now the time to buy Potbelly? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Slowest Q4: Noodles (NASDAQ:NDLS)

Offering pasta, mac and cheese, pad thai, and more, Noodles & Company (NASDAQ:NDLS) is a casual restaurant chain that serves all manner of noodles from around the world.

Noodles reported revenues of $121.8 million, down 2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.3%. It was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 12.9% since the results and currently trades at $1.40.

Read our full analysis of Noodles’s results here.

CAVA (NYSE:CAVA)

Starting from a single Washington, D.C. location, CAVA (NYSE:CAVA) operates a fast-casual restaurant chain offering customizable Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

CAVA reported revenues of $227.4 million, up 28.3% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 2.2%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ EPS and same-store sales estimates.

CAVA achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 16.4% since reporting and currently trades at $83.

Read our full, actionable report on CAVA here, it’s free.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)

The passion project of two chicken wing aficionados in Texas, Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) is a popular fast-food chain known for its flavorful and crispy chicken wings offered in a variety of sauces and seasonings.

Wingstop reported revenues of $161.8 million, up 27.4% year on year. This number lagged analysts' expectations by 1.9%. It was a softer quarter as it also produced a miss of analysts’ same-store sales estimates and EBITDA estimates.

Wingstop had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is down 26.6% since reporting and currently trades at $225.01.

Read our full, actionable report on Wingstop here, it’s free.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Strong Momentum Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

Join Paid Stock Investor Research

Help us make StockStory more helpful to investors like yourself. Join our paid user research session and receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your opinions. Sign up here.