The Chefs’ Warehouse Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Rhea-AI Summary
The Chefs’ Warehouse (NASDAQ: CHEF) reported Q1 2026 results: net sales $1.06B (up 11.4% YoY), GAAP net income $17.4M ($0.40 diluted) and adjusted EBITDA $60.1M. Gross profit rose 13.9% to $257.4M with margin up ~53 bps to 24.3%. Fiscal 2026 guidance: net sales $4.35B–$4.45B, gross profit $1.053B–$1.076B, adjusted EBITDA $276M–$286M.
The company cited organic growth, acquisitions, higher volumes and price inflation driving results, with weather and Middle East conflict noted as headwinds.
Positive
- Net sales +11.4% YoY to $1.06 billion in Q1 2026
- Adjusted EBITDA increased to $60.1 million from $47.5 million (+26.5%)
- Gross profit +13.9% YoY to $257.4 million; gross margin +53 bps to 24.3%
- Fiscal 2026 guidance: net sales $4.35B–$4.45B and adjusted EBITDA $276M–$286M
- Organic sales growth of $98.3 million (10.4%) in Q1 2026
Negative
- Selling, general and administrative expenses rose 10.5% to $224.1 million
- Effective tax rate increased to 23.6% from 17.6% in prior-year quarter (+600 bps)
- Acquisitions contributed only 1.0% of Q1 sales growth, indicating reliance on organic gains
News Market Reaction – CHEF
On the day this news was published, CHEF gained 17.84%, reflecting a significant positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +17.7% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 51 alerts that day, indicating high trading interest and price volatility. This price movement added approximately $490M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $3.24B at that time. Trading volume was elevated at 2.5x the daily average, suggesting notable buying interest.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
CHEF was down 3.9% with elevated volume, while key peers like UNFI (-0.41%), USFD (-1.35%) and AVO (-5.31%) also traded lower but with no momentum flags or same-day headlines, suggesting a more stock-specific setup than a coordinated sector move.
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-11 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | -1.9% | Q4 2025 beat with 10.5% net sales growth and strong EBITDA. |
| 2025-10-29 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +6.4% | Q3 2025 results with 9.6% sales growth and raised 2025 guidance. |
| 2025-07-30 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +8.7% | Strong Q2 2025 growth, higher margins and increased adjusted EBITDA. |
| 2025-04-30 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +6.9% | Q1 2025 revenue and profit growth with higher EBITDA and guidance. |
| 2025-02-12 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +9.4% | Q4 2024 double‑digit profit growth and improved gross margins. |
Earnings releases have generally produced positive price reactions, with one recent quarter showing a mild negative divergence despite solid fundamentals.
Over the past five earnings cycles, The Chefs’ Warehouse has repeatedly delivered mid‑ to high‑single‑digit net sales growth and expanding gross profit, often accompanied by raised or reiterated full‑year guidance. Price reactions were positive in four of these events, with moves ranging from mid‑single to high‑single digits, and one modest negative reaction despite strong fundamentals. This latest Q1 2026 report, with double‑digit sales and profit growth plus reiterated 2026 guidance of $4.35B–$4.45B in net sales and $276M–$286M in adjusted EBITDA, fits that broader growth trajectory.
Historical Comparison
In the last five earnings releases, CHEF’s average one‑day move was 5.92%, with mostly positive reactions to consistently growing sales, margins, and EBITDA.
Earnings reports show a steady progression of high‑single to low‑double‑digit sales growth, expanding gross margins, and rising adjusted EBITDA, often paired with maintained or raised full‑year guidance.
Market Pulse Summary
The stock surged +17.8% in the session following this news. A strong positive reaction aligns with The Chefs’ Warehouse’s pattern of favorable responses to earnings, where four of the last five reports saw gains averaging 5.92%. The Q1 2026 release featured double‑digit net sales growth to $1.06B, higher margins, and adjusted EBITDA of $60.1M. Investors would need to weigh how much upside was already priced in and monitor whether elevated volume sustains after initial enthusiasm fades.
Key Terms
gaap financial
ebitda financial
adjusted ebitda financial
adjusted net income financial
non-gaap financial measures financial
basis points financial
effective tax rate financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
RIDGEFIELD, Conn., April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHEF) (the “Company” or “Chefs’”), a premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States, the Middle East, and Canada, today reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 27, 2026.
Financial highlights for the first quarter of 2026:
- Net sales increased
11.4% to$1.06 billion for the first quarter of 2026 from$950.7 million for the first quarter of 2025. - GAAP net income was
$17.4 million , or$0.40 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2026 compared to$10.3 million , or$0.25 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2025. - Adjusted net income per share1 was
$0.40 for the first quarter of 2026 compared to$0.25 for the first quarter of 2025. - Adjusted EBITDA1 was
$60.1 million for the first quarter of 2026 compared to$47.5 million for the first quarter of 2025.
“First quarter 2026 business activity displayed typical seasonal cadence as revenue trends coming out of January increased steadily into February and March. Despite some volatility in business due to extreme weather events and the start of the conflict in the Middle East later in the quarter, our businesses continued to grow market share, delivering strong year-over-year growth in volume, product penetration, unique customers, revenue and profitability,” said Christopher Pappas, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Company. “I would like to thank all of Chefs’ Warehouse, from sales and operations to all the supporting functions, for delivering a great start to 2026. Our regional leadership and their teams continue to execute our strategy to leverage our investments and train the next generation of sales and operational talent. They are accelerating our long-term plan, as they grow deeper understanding of our customer base and become the ultimate specialty ingredient professionals, marrying technology with industry know how to become trusted advisors to the best chefs in the world.”
First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
Net sales for the first quarter of 2026 increased
Gross profit increased
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by approximately
Operating income for the first quarter of 2026 was
The Company’s effective tax rate was
Net income for the first quarter of 2026 was
Adjusted EBITDA1 was
2026 Guidance
We are providing our fiscal 2026 full year financial guidance as follows:
- Net sales in the range of
$4.35 billion to$4.45 billion , - Gross profit to be between
$1.053 billion and$1.076 billion and - Adjusted EBITDA1 to be between
$276 million and$286 million .
First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2026 financial results today at 8:30 a.m. ET. Hosting the call will be Chris Pappas, chairman and chief executive officer, and Jim Leddy, chief financial officer. The conference call will be webcast live from the Company’s investor relations website at http://investors.chefswarehouse.com. An online archive of the webcast will be available on the Company’s investor relations website.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We present EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share, as well as forecasted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA ranges, which are not measurements determined in accordance with the U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), because we believe these measures provide additional metrics to evaluate our operations and our forecasted results and which we believe, when considered with both our GAAP results and the reconciliation to net income and net income available to common shareholders, provide a more complete understanding of our business than could be obtained absent this disclosure. We use EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share together with financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, such as revenue and cash flows from operations, to assess our historical and prospective operating performance and to enhance our understanding of our core operating performance. The use of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share as performance measures permits a comparative assessment of our operating performance relative to our GAAP performance while isolating the effects of some items that vary from period to period without any correlation to core operating performance or that vary widely among similar companies.
Other companies may calculate these non-GAAP financial measures differently, and therefore our measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. These non-GAAP financial measures should only be used as supplemental measures of our operating performance.
Please see the schedules accompanying this earnings release for a reconciliation of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share to these measures’ most directly comparable GAAP measure.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release regarding the Company’s business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and management estimates; actual results may differ materially. The risks and uncertainties which could impact these statements include, but are not limited to the following: our success depends to a significant extent upon general economic conditions, including disposable income levels and changes in consumer discretionary spending; the relatively low margins of our business, which are sensitive to inflationary and deflationary pressures and intense competition; changes in our credit profile and any effect they may have on our relationships with suppliers; the effects of rising costs for and/or decreases in supply of commodities, ingredients, packaging, other raw materials, distribution and labor; price reductions by our manufacturers of products that we sell which could cause the value of our inventory to decline or our customers to demand lower sales prices; fuel cost volatility and its impact on distribution, packaging and energy costs; our continued ability to promote our brand successfully, to anticipate and respond to new customer demands, and to develop new products and markets to compete effectively; our ability and the ability of our supply chain partners to continue to operate distribution centers and other work locations without material disruption, and to procure ingredients, packaging and other raw materials when needed despite disruptions in the supply chain or labor shortages; risks associated with the expansion of our business; our possible inability to identify new acquisitions or to integrate recent or future acquisitions, or our failure to realize anticipated revenue enhancements, cost savings or other synergies from recent or future acquisitions; other factors that affect the food industry generally, including: recalls if products become adulterated or misbranded, liability if product consumption causes injury, ingredient disclosure and labeling laws and regulations and the possibility that customers could lose confidence in the safety and quality of certain food products; new information or attitudes regarding diet and health or adverse opinions about the health effects of the products we distribute; dependence on independent certifications for products; changes in disposable income levels and consumer purchasing habits; competitors’ pricing practices and promotional spending levels; fluctuations in the level of our customers’ inventories and credit and other related business risks; and the risks associated with third-party suppliers, including the risk that any failure by one or more of our third-party suppliers to comply with food safety or other laws and regulations may disrupt our supply of raw materials or certain products or injure our reputation; our ability to recruit and retain senior management and a highly skilled and diverse workforce; unanticipated expenses, including, without limitation, litigation or legal settlement expenses, adverse judgments, or impairment charges; the cost and adequacy of our insurance policies; the impact and effects of public health crises, pandemics and epidemics and the adverse impact thereof on our business, financial condition, and results of operations; economic and other developments, or events, including adverse weather conditions, in the culinary markets in which we operate; information technology system failures, cybersecurity incidents, or other disruptions to our use of technology and networks; our ability to realize the benefits we anticipate from investments in information technology; our ability to protect our intellectual property; significant governmental regulation and any potential failure to comply with such regulations; changing rules, public disclosure regulations and stakeholder expectations on ESG-related matters; federal, state, provincial and local tax rules in the United States and the foreign countries in which we operate, including tax reform and legislation; climate change, or the legal, regulatory or market measures being implemented to address climate change; the concentration of ownership among our existing executive officers, directors and their affiliates which may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions; risks relating to our substantial indebtedness; our ability to raise additional capital and/or obtain debt or other financing, on commercially reasonable terms or at all; our ability to meet future cash requirements, including the ability to access financial markets effectively and maintain sufficient liquidity; the effects of currency movements in the jurisdictions in which we operate as compared to the U.S. dollar; and the effects of international trade disputes, tariffs, quotas and other import or export restrictions on our international procurement, sales and operations. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, as such, speak only as of the date made. A more detailed description of these and other risk factors is contained in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 24, 2026 and other reports filed by the Company with the SEC since that date. The Company is not undertaking to update any information until required by applicable laws. Any projections of future results of operations are based on a number of assumptions, many of which are outside the Company’s control and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. These projections are subject to change and could differ materially from final reported results. The Company may from time to time update these publicly announced projections, but it is not obligated to do so.
About The Chefs’ Warehouse
The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (http://www.chefswarehouse.com) is a premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States, the Middle East and Canada focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate some of the nation’s leading menu-driven independent restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools, bakeries, patisseries, chocolateries, cruise lines, casinos and specialty food stores. The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. carries and distributes more than 90,000 products to more than 55,000 customer locations throughout the United States, the Middle East and Canada.
Contact:
Investor Relations
Jim Leddy, CFO, (718) 684-8415
1Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are non-GAAP measures. Please see the schedules accompanying this earnings release for a reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share to these measures’ most directly comparable GAAP measure.
| THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited; in thousands except share amounts and per share data) | ||||||
| Thirteen Weeks Ended | ||||||
| March 27, 2026 | March 28, 2025 | |||||
| Net sales | $ | 1,059,010 | $ | 950,748 | ||
| Cost of sales | 801,642 | 724,753 | ||||
| Gross profit | 257,368 | 225,995 | ||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 224,145 | 202,763 | ||||
| Other operating expenses, net | 89 | 497 | ||||
| Operating income | 33,134 | 22,735 | ||||
| Interest expense | 10,396 | 10,253 | ||||
| Income before income taxes | 22,738 | 12,482 | ||||
| Provision for income tax expense | 5,371 | 2,194 | ||||
| Net income | $ | 17,367 | $ | 10,288 | ||
| Net income per share: | ||||||
| Basic | $ | 0.45 | $ | 0.27 | ||
| Diluted | $ | 0.40 | $ | 0.25 | ||
| Numerator: | ||||||
| Net income | $ | 17,367 | $ | 10,288 | ||
| Add effect of dilutive securities: | ||||||
| Interest on convertible notes, net of tax | 1,192 | 1,212 | ||||
| Net income available to common shareholders | $ | 18,559 | $ | 11,500 | ||
| Denominator: | ||||||
| Weighted average basic common shares outstanding | 38,795,537 | 38,695,791 | ||||
| Dilutive effect of unvested common shares, stock options and warrants | 788,792 | 900,680 | ||||
| Dilutive effect of convertible notes | 6,494,970 | 6,494,970 | ||||
| Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding | 46,079,299 | 46,091,441 | ||||
| THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited; in thousands) | |||||||
| March 27, 2026 | December 26, 2025 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 122,709 | $ | 120,982 | |||
| Accounts receivable, net | 377,354 | 392,374 | |||||
| Inventories | 364,037 | 385,722 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 66,833 | 70,811 | |||||
| Total current assets | 930,933 | 969,889 | |||||
| Property and equipment, net | 345,416 | 342,019 | |||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 207,833 | 205,270 | |||||
| Goodwill | 362,684 | 362,742 | |||||
| Intangible assets, net | 131,644 | 137,310 | |||||
| Other assets | 11,257 | 10,777 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 1,989,767 | $ | 2,028,007 | |||
| Accounts payable | $ | 233,025 | $ | 275,622 | |||
| Accrued liabilities | 84,135 | 78,458 | |||||
| Short-term operating lease liabilities | 25,008 | 24,832 | |||||
| Accrued compensation | 56,045 | 66,350 | |||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 29,528 | 28,197 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 427,741 | 473,459 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net of current portion | 720,902 | 720,333 | |||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 202,749 | 201,542 | |||||
| Deferred taxes, net | 23,767 | 22,424 | |||||
| Other liabilities | 5,977 | 5,940 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 1,381,136 | 1,423,698 | |||||
| Common stock | 408 | 407 | |||||
| Additional paid in capital | 400,620 | 405,020 | |||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (2,988 | ) | (2,763 | ) | |||
| Retained earnings | 210,591 | 201,645 | |||||
| Stockholders’ equity | 608,631 | 604,309 | |||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 1,989,767 | $ | 2,028,007 | |||
| THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited; in thousands) | |||||||
| Thirteen Weeks Ended | |||||||
| March 27, 2026 | March 28, 2025 | ||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||
| Net income | $ | 17,367 | $ | 10,288 | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment | 14,788 | 12,244 | |||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 5,651 | 6,094 | |||||
| Provision for allowance for credit losses | 5,287 | 2,702 | |||||
| Deferred income tax provision | 1,306 | 205 | |||||
| Stock compensation | 5,290 | 4,763 | |||||
| Non-cash interest and other operating activities | (273 | ) | 1,316 | ||||
| Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions: | |||||||
| Accounts receivable | 9,666 | 27,826 | |||||
| Inventories | 21,582 | (774 | ) | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 3,619 | 4,115 | |||||
| Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and accrued compensation | (45,442 | ) | (19,591 | ) | |||
| Other assets and liabilities | (583 | ) | 378 | ||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 38,258 | 49,566 | |||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||
| Capital expenditures | (7,699 | ) | (12,344 | ) | |||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (7,699 | ) | (12,344 | ) | |||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||
| Payment of debt and other financing obligations | (5,750 | ) | (750 | ) | |||
| Payment of finance leases | (4,953 | ) | (3,253 | ) | |||
| Common stock repurchases | (10,003 | ) | — | ||||
| Proceeds from exercise of stock options | 2,041 | — | |||||
| Surrender of shares to pay withholding taxes | (10,112 | ) | (11,409 | ) | |||
| Payments under asset-based loan facility | — | (20,000 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (28,777 | ) | (35,412 | ) | |||
| Effect of foreign currency translation on cash and cash equivalents | (55 | ) | 65 | ||||
| Net change in cash and cash equivalents | 1,727 | 1,875 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 120,982 | 114,655 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 122,709 | $ | 116,530 | |||
| THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA (unaudited; in thousands) | ||||||
| Thirteen Weeks Ended | ||||||
| March 27, 2026 | March 28, 2025 | |||||
| Net income | $ | 17,367 | $ | 10,288 | ||
| Interest expense | 10,396 | 10,253 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment | 14,788 | 12,244 | ||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 5,651 | 6,094 | ||||
| Provision for income tax expense | 5,371 | 2,194 | ||||
| EBITDA (1) | 53,573 | 41,073 | ||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||
| Stock compensation (2) | 5,290 | 4,763 | ||||
| Other operating expenses, net (3) | 89 | 497 | ||||
| Duplicate rent (4) | 1,144 | 953 | ||||
| Moving expenses (5) | — | 197 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA (1) | $ | 60,096 | $ | 47,483 | ||
| ||||||
| THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO ADJUSTED NET INCOME AND ADJUSTED NET INCOME PER SHARE (unaudited; in thousands except share amounts and per share data) | |||||||
| Thirteen Weeks Ended | |||||||
| March 27, 2026 | March 28, 2025 | ||||||
| Net income | $ | 17,367 | $ | 10,288 | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to adjusted net income (1): | |||||||
| Other operating expenses, net (2) | 89 | 497 | |||||
| Duplicate rent (3) | 1,144 | 953 | |||||
| Moving expenses (4) | — | 197 | |||||
| Debt modification and extinguishment expenses (5) | 655 | — | |||||
| Tax effect of adjustments (6) | (2,017 | ) | (1,762 | ) | |||
| Total adjustments | (129 | ) | (115 | ) | |||
| Adjusted net income (1) | $ | 17,238 | $ | 10,173 | |||
| Diluted adjusted net income per common share (1) | $ | 0.40 | $ | 0.25 | |||
| Numerator: | |||||||
| Adjusted net income (1) | $ | 17,238 | $ | 10,173 | |||
| Add effect of dilutive securities: | |||||||
| Interest on convertible notes, net of tax | 1,192 | 1,212 | |||||
| Adjusted net income available to common shareholders | $ | 18,430 | $ | 11,385 | |||
| Denominator: | |||||||
| Weighted average basic common shares outstanding | 38,795,537 | 38,695,791 | |||||
| Dilutive effect of unvested common shares, stock options and warrants | 788,792 | 900,680 | |||||
| Dilutive effect of convertible notes | 6,494,970 | 6,494,970 | |||||
| Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding | 46,079,299 | 46,091,441 | |||||
| |||||||
| THE CHEFS’ WAREHOUSE, INC. RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED EBITDA GUIDANCE FOR FISCAL 2026 (unaudited; in thousands) | ||||||
| Low-End Guidance | High-End Guidance | |||||
| Net income: | $ | 88,000 | $ | 92,000 | ||
| Provision for income tax expense | 34,000 | 36,000 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment | 85,000 | 87,000 | ||||
| Interest expense | 41,000 | 42,000 | ||||
| EBITDA (1) | 248,000 | 257,000 | ||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||
| Stock compensation (2) | 23,500 | 24,000 | ||||
| Duplicate rent (3) | 3,500 | 3,500 | ||||
| Other operating expenses (4) | 1,000 | 1,500 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA (1) | $ | 276,000 | $ | 286,000 | ||
| ||||||
