Chili’s posts 19th straight quarter of same-store sales growth

Core Insights - Brinker International reported an 8.6% increase in same-store sales for its Chili's brand in Q2, driven by higher traffic, menu enhancements, competitive pricing, advertising initiatives, and improved operations [1][2] Group 1: Chili's Performance - Chili's total sales for Q2 exceeded $1.31 billion, up from $1.2 billion in Q2 2025, with a restaurant operating margin of 19.1%, compared to 18.7% in the same quarter last year [2] - The brand achieved a two-year comp sales growth of 43%, with 19 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, attributed to improvements in guest experience [3] - The quarterly performance from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026 showed same-store sales increases of 14.1%, 31.4%, 31.6%, 23.7%, and 21.4% respectively [3] Group 2: Financial Guidance and Impact - Brinker raised its full-year fiscal 2026 guidance, reflecting a stronger sales and profit outlook for Chili's, despite an estimated $20 million revenue impact from Winter Storm Fern [4] Group 3: Maggiano's Performance - Maggiano's experienced a same-store sales decline of 2.4% in Q2, with total revenues dropping by 14.5% to $134.9 million from $149.4 million in Q2 2025, and a decline in restaurant operating margin to 16% [5] - The company is implementing a "Back to Maggiano's" strategy to improve performance, following a leadership transition in August [6]