DPZ The Night King Commands Us to Update Our Forecasts Ahead of the Q1 Release

By Mark Kalinowski Published on April 15, 2019 at 12:00 AM

Ahead of Domino’s (DPZ; Buy) first quarter earnings release scheduled for before the market open on Wednesday, April 24th, we raise our Q1 U.S. (blended) samestore sales forecast by +160 basis points, to +4.5%. Based on our checks, we believe that Domino’s latest ad campaign — centered around “Points for Pies” — has been successful. Consumers apparently have responded well to the aspect of this that points can be earned from “eating any pizza you love, from anywhere. Yep, even if it’s not Domino’s.” Of course, many of the things that Domino’s has done well for years — an improved core product, technological excellence, the “Piece of the Pie Rewards” loyalty program, etc. — are all playing an integrated role in what appears to have been another successful quarter for the brand.

A Game of Tidbits Featuring House Coffee, House Dunkin and House Burger King

By Mark Kalinowski Published on April 14, 2019 at 12:00 AM

We briefly note the following tidbits regarding coffee-café segment market-share trends in the U.S., Dunkin’ (owned by Dunkin’ Brands Group [DNKN; Neutral]), and Burger King (owned by Restaurant Brands International [QSR; Not Rated]):

A Quick Look at the Fastest-Growing Restaurant Brands in the U.S.

By Mark Kalinowski Published on April 10, 2019 at 12:00 AM

During 2018, 175 restaurant brands generated at least $200 million in U.S. systemwide sales, according to data compiled by Technomic. For these 175 brands, which ones were the fastest growing? In this report, we look at the top 20 brands of these 175 that expanded their U.S. systemwide sales at the fastest rate last year.