By Amira McKee
Kura Sushi USA reported a wider loss for its fiscal first quarter after a drop in comparable restaurant sales.
The Irvine, Calif.-based sushi restaurant chain reported a first quarter loss of $3.06 million, or 25 cents per share, compared to a loss of about $961,000, or 8 cents a share, for the same period a year earlier.
Analysts polled by FactSet had forecast a loss of 15 cents per share.
Sales rose 14% to $73.5 million, above analyst expectations of $73 million. The company had 83 total restaurants at the end of the quarter, versus 70 a year earlier.
Comparable restaurant sales decreased 2.5%, primarily due to a decline in traffic.
Occupancy and related expenses were $5.8 million, compared to $4.8 million in the first quarter of 2025, primarily due to the additional restaurants.
Kura Sushi said labor and related costs as a percentage of sales were 32.5%, down slightly from a year earlier. The decrease is primarily due to increases in menu prices and operations initiatives, the company said.
Food and beverage costs as a percentage of sales increased slightly, driven by tariffs on imported ingredients.
Kura Sushi reiterated its annual guidance, anticipating sales between $330 million and $334 million for its fiscal year 2026.
Write to Amira McKee at amira.mckee@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 07, 2026 16:59 ET (21:59 GMT)
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