Top 5 Restaurant Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 5 Restaurant Stocks To Own Right Now: Potbelly Corp (PBPB)

Potbelly Corporation, incorporated on June 5, 2001, is a neighborhood sandwich concept offering toasty warm sandwiches, signature salads and other fresh menu items. Its sandwiches, salads and hand-dipped milkshakes are all made fresh to order and its cookies are baked fresh each day. As of June 30, 2013, it had a domestic base of 286 shops in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Of these, the Company operates 280 shops and franchisees operate six shops. In addition, there are 12 franchised shops in the Middle East.

The Company's menu features items made from ingredients such as fresh vegetables, hearth-baked bread and all-natural chicken (without preservatives or artificial flavors). The Company also uses whole muscle turkey, ham and roast beef, rather than chopped and formed deli meats. Its menu includes toasty warm sandwiches, signature salads, soups, chili, sides, desserts and, in its breakfast locations, breakfast sandwiches and steel cut oatmeal. Its sandwiches can be customized with a variety of toppings, including its Potbelly hot peppers that are made with a combination of spices. Customers can also order off-menu sandwiches and variations on our sandwiches, including the Wrecking Ball (A Wreck plus meatballs), the Lucky Seven (which includes all seven of its sliced meat choices) and the Cheeseburger (the Meatball with cheddar cheese and no marinara). Customers may order any of its salads without meat for a vegetarian option and may customize a salad as they desire. Salads come with a choice of dressing, including Potbelly Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Buttermilk Ranch and Non-Fat Vinaigrette.

The Company offers soups, chili and side dishes. Different soups are offered daily, including varieties such as Broccoli Cheddar, Chicken Noodle, Loaded Baked Potato, Chicken Enchilada and Spicy Southwest V! eggie. It has vegan soup options, including Garden Vegetable and Spicy Black Bean. Its chili is availabl e seven days a week and is a hearty recipe of ground beef, k! idney beans, onions and bell peppers sweetened with a touch of molasses. Additionally, customers can choose side dishes of coleslaw, macaroni salad, potato salad, potato chips or a whole dill pickle. Its classic shake flavors include vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee and Oreo, and its smoothies include real fruit, such as bananas and strawberries. Its varieties of cookies are baked fresh in each shop daily and include Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Sugar, Chocolate Brownie and Chocolate Cherry Granola cookies. Customers can also order an ice cream sandwich, with their choice of cookies and ice cream, or its signature chocolate and caramel Dream Bar.

The Company competes with Chipotle, Jimmy John's, Panera Bread and Subway.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Andrew Burton/Getty Images This has been a decent year for consumer-facing companies, and restaurant stocks would seem to be obvious beneficiaries. The employment picture is improving, giving consumers the means to eat out. Lower gas prices are also helping. However, not all eatery chains moved higher in 2014. Let's take a look at some of the companies that went the wrong way this year. Potbelly (PBPB) -- Down 51 percent this year The sandwich baker that got its start as part of an antique store has shed more than half of its value. It's been rough for the stock that initially soared after going public last year. Then again, investors have a right to question Potbelly's popularity. Comparable-restaurant sales through the first nine months of this year have declined 1.1 percent, and adjusted profitability has been nearly cut in half. At the end of the day there's no shortage of sandwich shops out there, even if this is the only one that started out in the back of an antique shop. Chuy's (CHUY) -- Down 46 percent this year ! One of th! e hardest-hit casual-dining chains of 2014 is Chuy's. The chain of lively Mexican restaurants -- featuring Elvis Presley shrines, nacho bars out of makeshift car trunks and framed pet portraits -- seems to be holding up well. It has rattled off 17 consecutive quarters of positive comparable-store sales. With just 59 full-service restaurants offering Mexican eats, Chuy's is still in its infancy. The reason that the stock has shed nearly half of its value this year is that it began the year at a lofty valuation. Chuy's is growing, but it's not growing fast enough to justify its earlier market cap. Noodles & Co. (NDLS) -- Down 28 percent this year Noodles & Co. was one of last year's hottest IPOs, soaring after going public at $18. A few trading days later, the stock was poking its head above $50. The fast-casual chain specializing in a wide array of international pasta dishes has a unique concept and plenty of room for

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  christianz1969/Flickr Americans lately have been transferring their love of fast-casual restaurant food to stocks of companies in the segment. Late last month, "better burger" specialist The Habit Restaurants (HABT) launched an initial public offering that doubled in price within hours of hitting the market. Like a meal from one of The Habit's more traditional fast-food rivals, though, the feeling of satisfaction didn't last: The shares started to drop after the initial euphoria. But that isn't stopping other fast-casual operators from listing on the exchange. They're finding, though, what works in the kitchen isn't necessarily successful on the market. IPOh Yes IPOs of fast-casual chain operators are coming to the market faster than you can get a refill at a soda machine. This year alone has seen the market debut not only of The Habit, but also the Mediterranean-flavored Zoe's Kitchen (ZOES) and West Coast chicken griller El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), among others. Like The Habit, the stocks of the latter two saw impressive f! irst-day ! rises (although they didn't pop quite as high as those of the burger purveyor). Why the excitement? Some of it can certainly be ascribed to the IPO market itself, which has had a frothy year. As of this writing, 262 companies have gone public, a 25 percent rise over the same period of 2013. In terms of total proceeds from IPOs, 2014 is set to be the best year for at least the past decade. Building a Better Burrito But likely a bigger factor is that the fast-casual segment has one great model that investors are hoping the newcomers can at least partially replicate -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG). Since going public in 2006, the stock of the now-ubiquitous chain has gone through the roof. Its IPO was priced at $22 a share and doubled in its first day of trading. Since then, its shares have ballooned -- at the moment, they trade at nearly $660, for a hard-to-believe 2,900-plus-percent rise from the issue price. It's not t

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-restaurant-stocks-to-own-right-now-6.html