In order to keep you ahead of the curve during earnings season, The Motley Fool's retail sector will give you a preview of which companies are reporting in the upcoming week. In the process, we'll let you know what happened last quarter so that you'll know have an idea of what to expect from this quarter.

The restaurant world kicks off earnings season with releases from Ruby Tuesday (NYSE:RI), Domino's Pizza (NYSE:DPZ), and Yum! Brands.

Ruby Tuesday got downgraded a while back because fewer and fewer patrons were walking in the doors. Management expects a decline in same-store sales for this quarter, and for things to pick up after that. We'll let you know if new products on the menu are drawing customers like bears to honey when we review the earnings release.

Domino's and Papa John's (NASDAQ:PZZA) are two 800-pound gorillas in the world of pizza-pie delivery. Rick Munarriz was surprised how well Papa John's performed in September, given Domino's latest product offering, Fudgems brownies (my mouth waters just saying those words). This week, we'll find out if Fudgems were a catalyst to drive increased pizza sales and more earnings.

Oh wait, how could I not include Yum! Brands' Pizza Hut as a heavyweight? Don't worry, I didn't forget. But Yum! has KFC and Taco Bell included under its umbrella. We'll let you know how much yum the world got last quarter.

With all that dough and cheese, my belly is full and I'm getting a bit sleepy. It's a good thing mattress maker Sealy (NYSE:ZZ) reports next week as well. Sealy's had a bit of a tough time getting a good night's sleep since going public earlier this year. Next week we'll find out if investors can sleep better from improved results.

Everybody's favorite warehouse retailer (well, everybody except for maybe Wal-Mart's Sam's Club employees) and Stock Advisor recommendation Costco (NASDAQ:COST) reports earnings next week. Alyce Lomax thinks Costco's CEO, Jim Sinegal, is most Foolish, so we'll be looking to see how Jim is leading his troops and helping Costco customers buy what they're looking for.

In case you missed it (in a sugar coma from too many Fudgems, perhaps?) here's a summary of what happened this week in the world of retailing. And be sure to check out what the Fool's best and brightest analysts say about the companies above next week.

Fool on!

Wal-Mart is a Motley Fool Inside Value recommendation. Costco is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor selection.

Retail editor and Inside Value team member David Meier does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned. You can view his TMF profile here. The Fool takes its disclosure policy very seriously.