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  1. Home
  2. /Glossary
  3. /Net Margin
Finance

Net Margin

Net income divided by revenue, the bottom-line profitability percentage after all expenses, interest, and taxes.

Related Terms

Operating Margin

Operating income divided by revenue, measuring profitability after all operating expenses but before interest and taxes.

EBITDA Margin

EBITDA as a percentage of sales, measuring operational profitability before financing and tax considerations. Industry benchmarks vary by concept.

Related Articles

The Real Math on Alcohol in QSR: What Taco Bell's Cantina Shortfall Reveals

Taco Bell projected 300-plus Cantinas by 2022. About 50 exist in 2026. The gap between ambition and reality reveals why alcohol's 80% gross margins don't translate to QSR profits at scale, and why the real beverage opportunity is non-alcoholic.

Finance & Economics

Inside Sweetgreen's Infinite Kitchen: Can a Robotic Assembly Line Fix Fast Casual's Margin Problem?

Sweetgreen's robotic Infinite Kitchen delivers 700 basis points of labor savings and 10 points of extra margin. But with $450K per install and same-store sales falling 9.5%, the real question is whether automation can outrun fast casual's deeper structural challenges.

Technology & Innovation

Starbucks' Turnaround Paradox: Traffic Is Up, But 420 Basis Points of Margin Just Vanished

Brian Niccol's Back to Starbucks plan is driving traffic for the first time in two years. But North America operating margins contracted 420 basis points in Q1 FY2026, RBC Capital and Wolfe Research both downgraded the stock in one week, and the CFO admits two-thirds of the damage is labor spending with no clear end date. For restaurant operators everywhere, Starbucks is now the industry's most expensive case study in what turnarounds actually cost.

Finance & Economics

Restaurant Industry H1 2026: No Catalysts in Sight, Say Analysts

Industry consultant John Gordon's March 2026 assessment is blunt: there are no visible catalysts to shift the current conditions facing restaurant operators. With $1.55 trillion in projected sales masking flat traffic, 1,000+ chain closures, and margin compression on every front, the first half of 2026 is shaping up as a grind.

Industry Analysis
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