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Dave & Buster's bets on simpler marketing to boost visits. The eatertainment chain is consolidating behind an "evergreen value message" in hopes of becoming more top of mind for customers. September 15, 2026 Dave & Buster's wants to clean up its marketing calendar as it looks to end a lengthy streak of same-store sales declines. In the quarter ended Aug. 4, same-store sales fell 2.9% at the eatertainment chain, marking its 14th straight quarter of negative same-store sales. The lower sales contributed to a net loss of $12.5 million, compared to net income of $11.4 million a year ago, surprising investors. Dave & Buster's stock plummeted nearly 20% on Tuesday. Still, the top line was an improvement over the previous quarter, when same-store sales were down 5.4%. And same-store sales got better as the quarter progressed, from negative 5% in June to negative 1.6% in July. New CEO Darin Harper pointed to the recent momentum as proof that the chain's back-to-basics strategy is working. Devised by previous CEO Tarun Lal, who abruptly retired last month, the strategy is focused on marketing, food and beverage, games, and operations. At the same time, Harper also highlighted a few areas that Dave & Buster's needs to adjust, starting with marketing. Despite brand awareness of 90%, consumers are still not consistently choosing Dave & Buster's for their food-and-games outings, he said. He said the chain's marketing calendar has become too busy and difficult for consumers to follow, and some recent promotions, like unlimited gaming passes for summer, have fallen flat. He also noted that Dave & Buster's had gone more than a year without a CMO before hiring Jeremy Tucker, former CMO of AutoNation, in June. Under new leadership, Dave & Buster's will consolidate its marketing behind an "evergreen value message," highlighting things like its Eat & Play Combos and half-price games on Wednesday and Sunday. It will also tie more marketing to "seasonal and cultural" events such as the World Cup, which drove incremental sales over the summer. "What you're likely going to see is less big, disconnected tentpole campaigns and a greater focus on tapping into these seasonal, cultural moments," Harper said. It hopes these efforts will help make the brand a more obvious choice for consumers. Dave & Buster's other big challenge has been getting customers who do visit to play more games. Total games revenue fell about 9% year over year in the quarter, even as food and beverage revenue rose about 9%. The chain has invested in bringing new and exciting games to the floor, adding 10 games so far this year, many tied to popular IP like "Star Wars' The Mandalorian and Grogu" and "Stranger Things." It has also lowered game prices and simplified the pricing for its gaming passes. This resulted in a 16% to 20% increase in gameplay, and though customers are spending about the same amount of money, it is hopefully translating to a better value perception and more food and beverage sales, Harper said. The company also plans to capitalize on consumer interest in collectibles by adding new merchandise to its claw machines and other parts of the gaming floor. "We have very high confidence that [the gaming] experience is still very sought after, but we have to innovate more and we have to be more relevant for the guest," Harper said. Food has been the bright spot for Dave & Buster's. Food and beverage same-store sales were up 7.6% last quarter, their fifth consecutive quarter of growth, thanks to menu improvements and the Eat & Play combo, which gives customers a $4.99 entree when they buy a gaming pass of $10 or more. Meanwhile, the company is looking to shore up the bottom line, which suffered from both revenue declines and a series of abnormalities in the quarter. A cost-cutting initiative has already identified $15 million in savings to be realized over the next 12 months and Dave & Buster's believes it can double that figure. Executives said savings will come from non-customer-facing items like sunsetting incomplete IT projects, negotiating better insurance premiums, and using its buying power to move from regional services to national ones for things like janitorial. In the quarter, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, appreciation, and amortization declined by $31 million, to $98.9 million, from $129.8 million in the same quarter a year ago. Besides lower revenue, several one-time items contributed to the dropoff, including lapping a $10 million non-cash deferral adjustment from last year; $3 million in higher than normal pre-opening expenses; and about $2 million of non-normalized growth and insurance expenses. Total revenue was $544.1 million, a 2.4% decline year over year. Adjusted free cash flow was positive $19.5 million for the six months ended Aug. 4, compared to negative $36.5 million through the end of the same period last year. Dave & Buster's opened six new U.S. locations in the quarter for a total of seven this year, and expects to open four more in the second half of the year. It now has 184 Dave & Buster's and 66 Main Event locations. Senior editor, Restaurant Business Joe Guszkowski is a senior editor with Restaurant Business covering technology and casual-dining chains. Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters

AutoNation reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $5.56, up from $5.46 a year earlier, marking its sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year EPS growth. Total revenue was $6.93 billion, down from $6.97 billion in the prior-year quarter. After-sales operations delivered record gross profit of $607 million, driven by 7% growth in customer-pay revenue and 16% increase in wholesale parts revenue. AutoNation Finance generated record profit of $11 million as its portfolio expanded 52% to $2.67 billion. The company deployed $900 million of capital through June, including $457 million in share repurchases and $317 million for acquisitions expected to add approximately $600 million in annual revenue. Management expects second-half EPS growth supported by after-sales, customer financial services and share buybacks.

AutoNation Q2 earnings call highlights. July 31, 2026 Key points. * AutoNation delivered adjusted EPS of $5.56, up from $5.46 a year earlier, despite lower revenue, gross profit and new-vehicle volume. Management expects second-half EPS growth, supported by after-sales, customer financial services, AutoNation Finance and share repurchases. * After-sales reached a record $607 million in gross profit, driven by growth in customer-pay repairs and wholesale parts. The company is expanding technician staffing and expects mid-single-digit after-sales gross-profit growth. * AutoNation Finance profit rose to a record $11 million as its portfolio expanded 52% to $2.67 billion. Strong free cash flow enabled $900 million of capital deployment through June, including buybacks and acquisitions expected to add about $600 million in annual revenue. * Interested in AutoNation? Here are five stocks we like better. AutoNation NYSE: AN reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $5.56, up from $5.46 a year earlier, marking its sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted EPS growth. The company said after-sales operations, customer financial services and capital allocation helped offset lower new-vehicle volume tied in part to battery-electric vehicle sales and prior-year tariff-related demand pull-forward. Total revenue was $6.93 billion, compared with $6.97 billion in the prior-year quarter, while gross profit totaled $1.23 billion, down from $1.28 billion. Adjusted operating income was $343 million, compared with $369 million a year earlier. AutoNation's adjusted SG&A expense was 68.2% of gross profit, improving from 69.8% in the first quarter but above 66.2% a year earlier. Chief Financial Officer Thomas Szlosek said the company expects SG&A as a percentage of gross profit to reach its 66% to 67% target range on a run-rate basis by year-end. He cited expected gross-profit improvement, productivity efforts including artificial intelligence applications, moderating advertising spending and portfolio actions as contributors. After-Sales sets gross profit record. After-sales remained AutoNation's largest gross-profit contributor, producing a record $607 million in gross profit during the quarter. After-sales revenue rose to $1.26 billion from $1.22 billion a year earlier, with customer-pay revenue increasing 7% and wholesale parts revenue climbing 16%. Customer-pay repair orders increased 5%, while warranty repair orders rose 8%. The gains offset lower internal repair activity, which AutoNation tied to its used-vehicle stocking mix and volume. Same-store after-sales gross profit increased 4%, while total after-sales gross profit rose 7%, according to CEO Michael Manley. Szlosek said the after-sales gross margin was 48.1%, compared with 49% in the prior-year quarter, reflecting a greater mix of lower-margin wholesale parts sales. The company said recent commercial wins helped drive wholesale growth, as AutoNation moves toward managing products and brands through a more centralized supply-chain model. Discover more investment Stock Market Holidays Cryptocurrency News Manley said the company views lower internal repair activity and changes in warranty mix as temporary rather than structural. He emphasized AutoNation's efforts to improve customer retention and gain business from older vehicles that may otherwise be serviced by independent repair shops. AutoNation increased same-store franchise technician headcount by more than 2% year over year. Management said technician hiring, retention, training and investments in service-facility layouts and tools are important to supporting mid-single-digit after-sales gross-profit growth. Vehicle margins remain stable as BEV sales decline. New-vehicle unit sales totaled 63,240, down 4% from a year earlier. The decline was driven principally by lower battery-electric vehicle sales, which fell more than 30% year over year, according to Manley. Import sales increased 1%, while domestic sales declined 12% and premium-luxury sales fell 4%. Excluding the battery-electric vehicle effect, premium-luxury sales declined 1%. New-vehicle gross profit per unit was $2,381, compared with $2,785 a year earlier, reflecting higher vehicle costs. Management said new-vehicle profitability has remained within a relatively narrow range for four consecutive quarters. Inventory supply stood at 73 days for domestic vehicles, 66 days for luxury vehicles and 34 days for imports. Used-vehicle gross profit per unit was $1,582, compared with $1,622 a year earlier. AutoNation said used-vehicle sales were constrained by a lower-than-desired mix of vehicles priced below $20,000, while units priced above $40,000 rose 10%. Revenue per used vehicle increased 8%, and management said profitability in the higher-priced category was more than double that of the rest of its used business. The company internally sourced about 90% of its used-vehicle inventory and expects off-lease vehicle supply to increase meaningfully in the second half. Szlosek said certified pre-owned sales accounted for close to 20% of used sales during the first half, up from roughly 15% in the prior-year period. Finance business scales and cash flow supports capital returns. Customer Financial Services gross profit was $358 million, down from $368 million a year ago as lower retail unit volume offset stronger per-unit results. CFS gross profit per vehicle increased about 3% to $2,799. AutoNation said roughly three-quarters of vehicle sales included a finance contract, and customers purchased an average of two products per vehicle. AutoNation Finance generated a record $11 million of profit in the quarter, compared with $2 million a year earlier. Its portfolio grew 52% to $2.67 billion, while quarterly originations were $485 million. The captive finance business represented 11% of total vehicle sales and 18% of sales financed during the quarter. AutoNation also completed a roughly $550 million asset-backed securities transaction in June, bringing the portfolio to 91% debt-funded. Adjusted free cash flow totaled more than $180 million in the quarter and $439 million in the first half, up 11% from the prior-year period. Through June, AutoNation deployed $900 million of capital, including $457 million for share repurchases, $317 million for acquisitions and $126 million in capital expenditures. The acquisitions included Toyota of Newnan in Georgia and three premium-luxury stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. The acquired stores are expected to contribute approximately $600 million in annual revenue and about 9,700 new and used vehicle sales. Looking ahead, Manley said the company expects adjusted EPS growth in the second half, supported by stable vehicle profitability, growth in after-sales and CFS, AutoNation Finance's expansion and a lower share count. He said AutoNation expects customer-pay after-sales business to deliver continued mid-single-digit growth and plans to continue returning residual cash flow to shareholders while pursuing acquisitions that meet its return-on-invested-capital criteria. About AutoNation (NYSE:AN). AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. Before you consider AutoNation, you'll want to hear this. 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