The U.S. restaurant industry continues to be impacted by high wages, food cost inflation and traffic woes in 2024 after two years of strong growth. Despite these headwinds, a handful of restaurant stocks have flourished year to date, defying the industry’s weak performance. Investment in these stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank and a possible earnings beat should provide more returns in the near future. At this stage, we recommend investing in three big restaurant stocks — Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) ...