Ron Paul, an analyst at Technomic in Chicago, says the No. 2 hamburger chain (behind McDonald’s) saw sales grow 14 percent in January. In October, same-store sales were up 6.9 percent, compared with last year. In November, they were up 9.1 percent, and in December, 13.1 percent. Despite the closings of hundreds of stores due to bankruptcy, Paul says, “They appear to definitely be in recovery mode. Their poor times are behind them, and they’re hitting on all eight cylinders.”
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