Cha-Ching! Restaurants Cash In on the Calorie-Conscious: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG)

After Yum! had grown impressively in the years preceding the chicken crisis, maybe this will serve as a wake-up call and the company will make a change for the better. One positive note for Yum! Brands is that a board member scooped up 35,000 shares of the company after it announced its disappointing report.

Foolish bottom line
Clearly, the writing is on the wall. Lower-calorie menu items are driving restaurant growth. And restaurants that cut corners and don’t offer high-quality, nutritious options will be punished. More and more, consumers are voting with their wallets. Eateries that offer a greater number of these options are not only doing what’s right for consumers’ bottoms, but also enjoying top-line growth as a result.

I like McDonald’s for its dividend, but if I had to pick one of these stocks right now, I’d go with Chipotle. The company has made its name (and a 206% return for shareholders in three years!) by focusing on the quality of its food. This focus on quality coupled with the company’s long-term international growth prospects appears extremely enticing.

The article Cha-Ching! Restaurants Cash In on the Calorie-Conscious originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Nicole Seghetti.

Fool contributor Nicole Seghetti has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow her on Twitter @NicoleSeghetti. The Motley Fool recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald’s, and Panera Bread. The Motley Fool owns shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald’s, and Panera Bread.

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