Dave & Buster's vs Papa John's
Dave & Buster's reported revenue of $2.1 billion in fiscal 2025, about the same as Papa John's $2.1 billion in fiscal 2025. Dave & Buster's revenue fell 1.4% in its latest year, and Papa John's fell 0.3%. Dave & Buster's had an operating margin of 4.1%, against 4.3% at Papa John's. Free cash flow was −$101 million at Dave & Buster's and $61 million at Papa John's. Their fiscal years end in different months (February 3 and December 28), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Dave & Buster's | Papa John's | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Feb 3, 2026 | FY2025, Dec 28, 2025 |
| Revenue | $2.1B | $2.1B |
| Revenue growth | −1.4% | −0.3% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 37.0% | 2.5% |
| Gross margin | 85.7% | — |
| Operating margin | 4.1% | 4.3% |
| Net margin | −2.3% | 1.5% |
| Free cash flow | −$101M | $61M |
| Free cash flow margin | −4.8% | 3.0% |
| Return on capital | 4.1% | 19.3% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 4.3x | 4.0x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $24M | $61M |
| Change in diluted share count | −13.3% | 0.4% |
| Last close | $7.07 | $18.23 |
| P/E at the last close | — | 23.1× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | bought $122,033, sold $102,668 | — |
| Piotroski F-score | 6 of 9 | 4 of 8 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Dave & Buster'sPapa John's
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Dave & Buster'sPapa John's
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Dave & Buster'sPapa John's
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Dave & Buster's and Papa John's pages.