There's no denying that Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG 1.88%) is a market darling. The fast-casual eatery saw its shares hit yet another all-time high earlier this month, and it's coming off another strong quarter.
But growth is decelerating at the cult fave burrito roller. Year-over-year revenue growth is at its slowest pace in five years, and comps in its latest quarter clocked in just 4.3% ahead of the prior year's second quarter.
Chipotle may still be moving in the right direction, but some of its peers are holding up even better. Let's take a look at some of the chains that are posting better than 4.3% comps growth during the same quarter.
Shake Shack (SHAK 8.82%) -- Up 12.9%
It's not easy to live up to the hype when your stock has more than tripled since going public at $21 in January, but Shake Shack is making the most of its rookie season. It posted another impressive quarterly report on Monday with year-over-year revenue growth soaring 78%. Adjusted earnings grew even faster. Heady expansion gets the lion's share of the credit there, but Shake Shack did manage to pull off a 12.9% year-over-year surge in comps. The stock isn't cheap, but with Shake Shack raising its guidance as well as its expansion rate it's dangerous to bet against the stock.
Wingstop (WING 1.33%) -- Up 9%
The recently public chicken wings specialist is soaring these days. Wingstop's store count has grown nearly 20% over the past year, but it's also doing ridiculously well at the individual store level with 9% comps growth in its latest quarter. Wingstop has been pretty steady in the past. It has rattled off 11 consecutive years of positive comps, and it's seemingly a shoo-in to stretch that streak to a cool dozen. Wingstop went public at $19 just two months ago, and it was trading 65% higher as of yesterday's close.
Jack in the Box (JACK 5.18%) -- Up 7.7% and 7.3%
A company that is often compared to Chipotle is Jack in the Box's Qdoba. It's a fellow burrito roller, offering a slightly larger menu that includes soups and warm queso. It took a page out of the Chipotle playbook recently, simplifying its menu pricing by entree. It appears to be paying off at Qdoba. Comps were up 7.7% systemwide during the second quarter, and that's pretty impressive for a chain specializing in the same fare as Chipotle. Jack in the Box's namesake chain also held up pretty well with comps up 7.3%. That may not be Shake Shack growth, but it's still pretty darn impressive for a burger concept.
Chipotle is still worthy of being a market darling, but don't make the mistake of thinking that it's the only chain that's growing in popularity at the store level. Some chains, in fact, are doing an even better job at that.
