Cheesecake Factory vs Brinker International
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Cheesecake Factory and Brinker International side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Brinker International is the larger business, with $5.8B of revenue in fiscal 2026 against $3.8B for Cheesecake Factory, about 1.5 times as much.
- Brinker International grew revenue faster (7.9%, against 4.8%).
- Brinker International kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (10.7% operating margin, against 5.0%).
- Brinker International turned more of its sales into free cash flow (9.6% FCF margin, against 4.1%).
- Brinker International earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (66.0%, against 20.5%).
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Cheesecake Factory
CAKE
1/10
5-year growth
Brinker International
EAT
9/10
Revenue growthOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | CAKE FY25 | EAT FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $5.3B | $8.4B |
| Revenue | $3.8B | $5.8B |
| Free cash flow | $155M | $558M |
| Net income | $148M | $487M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 4.8% | 7.9% |
| 5-year growth | 13.6% | 11.7% |
| Share count change | −0.9% | −2.8% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Operating margin | 5.0% | 10.7% |
| Net margin | 4.0% | 8.4% |
| FCF margin | 4.1% | 9.6% |
| Return on capital | 20.5% | 66.0% |
| Return on equity | 33.7% | 119.6% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $414M | $335M |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.4x | 0.4x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $206M | $444M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 29.8x | — |
| Piotroski F-score | 5 | 8 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.