Brinker International

Chili's just finished five straight years of same-store sales growth, adding up to a 71% jump over that stretch. Same-store sales rose another 5.6% at Chili's this quarter with more people walking through the door, and full year quarterly sales hit 1.52 billion dollars, up from 1.45 billion a year ago.

Earnings per share jumped 30% to 2.99 dollars for the quarter, and full year earnings reached 10.87 dollars per share versus 8.32 last year. The company bought back 400 million dollars of its own stock during the year and just approved another 750 million dollars for more buybacks. Management expects 12.60 to 13.40 dollars per share next year.

Maggiano's same-store sales fell 2.5% this quarter and 3.9% for the full year as fewer guests showed up and some locations closed. Its quarterly operating income dropped to 1 million dollars from 13.4 million a year ago. It is a small slice of the business, but it shows how quickly diners pull back from pricier menus.

Beef prices are climbing and a late freeze in Florida pushed produce costs higher, squeezing food costs at Chili's even as the restaurant margin improved to 18.6%. Delivery fees, advertising, and hourly labor are all rising too. Next year's forecast also leans on a bonus 53rd week worth roughly 70 cents per share, so the underlying growth bar is high.