Here's How Much You'd Have If You Invested $1000 in Brinker International a Decade Ago

For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. This factor can impact your investment portfolio as well as help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.

Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.

What if you'd invested in Brinker International (EAT) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to EAT for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?

Brinker International's Business In-Depth

With that in mind, let's take a look at Brinker International's main business drivers.

Brinker International, Inc. is based in Dallas, TX. The company owns, operates, develops and franchises restaurants under the Chili’s Grill & Bar (Chili’s) and Maggiano’s Little Italy (Maggiano’s) brands. The company took over Chili’s, Inc., a Texas-based corporation, in September 1983. It completed the acquisition of Maggiano’s in August 1995.

Chili’s is a bar and grill casual dining brand with a broad American menu. The brand has been operating for more than 40 years. Chili’s restaurants are located in the United States, 28 other countries and two U.S. territories. The menu is known for burgers, fajitas, baby back ribs and margaritas. In fiscal 2018, Brinker relaunched its My Chili’s Rewards program. The program offers free chips and salsa or soft drinks to members at every visit. Brinker has simplified the Chili’s menu to emphasize core categories, including burgers, fajitas, Chicken Crispers, margaritas and the Triple Dipper.

Brinker uses a value platform at lunch and dinner, including the “3 for Me” offering that bundles a non-alcoholic drink, an appetizer and select entrées starting at $10.99. The company also operates through takeout and delivery channels, which are included in company sales.

Maggiano’s is a full-service, casual dining Italian restaurant brand. It offers individual and family-style menus. Most restaurants include banquet facilities designed to host large party business and social events. The menu includes a classic Italian-American range of appetizers and entrees, with portions of pasta, chicken, seafood, veal, prime steaks and desserts.

The company reports two operating segments, Chili’s and Maggiano’s. During fiscal 2026, Maggiano’s represented about 8% of sales, while Chili’s accounted for about 92%. As of June 24, 2026, the company owned, operated or franchised 1,635 restaurants. This included 1,163 company-owned restaurants and 472 franchised restaurants. The company-owned base includes domestic and international Chili’s units and domestic Maggiano’s units. The franchised base includes domestic and international Chili’s restaurants and a small domestic Maggiano’s franchise business.

Bottom Line

Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Brinker International, ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today.

A $1000 investment made in August 2016 would be worth $4,463.71, or a 346.37% gain, as of August 18, 2026, according to our calculations. Investors should note that this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.

The S&P 500 rose 254.92% and the price of gold increased 214.07% over the same time frame in comparison.

Analysts are forecasting more upside for EAT too.

Brinker reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results, with adjusted earnings in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate and revenues exceeding the same. Both top and bottom lines improved year over year by 5.1% and 23.3%, respectively. The company benefited from Chili's momentum, supported by positive traffic, menu pricing, everyday value and menu innovation. Operational improvements and labor leverage supported margins despite higher commodity costs. Cash generation supports reinvestment, share repurchases and debt reduction. Fiscal 2027 guidance points to revenue and earnings growth, supported by Chili's traffic and reimages. Shares of Brinker have outperformed its industry in the past three months. However, Maggiano's turnaround remains slower than planned, while commodity and operating costs may constrain margin gains.

The stock is up 23.95% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 7 higher, for fiscal 2026. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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