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Side-by-side financial comparison of Dave Inc. (DAVE) and NOODLES & Co (NDLS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Dave Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($163.7M vs $122.1M, roughly 1.3× NOODLES & Co). Dave Inc. runs the higher net margin — 40.3% vs -7.5%, a 47.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Dave Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (62.4% vs -4.1%). Dave Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($289.7M vs $-2.8M). Over the past eight quarters, Dave Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (49.1% CAGR vs -1.2%).

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas. Each Dave & Buster's location has a full-service restaurant, full bar, and a video arcade, the latter of which is known as the "Million Dollar Midway". As of February 2024, the company has 158 locations in the United States, as well as two in Puerto Rico and two in Canada.

Noodles & Company is an American fast-casual restaurant that offers international and American noodle dishes in addition to soups and salads. Noodles & Company was founded in 1995 by Aaron Kennedy and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company went public in 2013 and recorded a $457 million revenue in 2017. In mid-2022, there were 458 Noodles & Company locations across 31 states.

DAVE vs NDLS — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
DAVE
DAVE
1.3× larger
DAVE
$163.7M
$122.1M
NDLS
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
DAVE
DAVE
+66.5% gap
DAVE
62.4%
-4.1%
NDLS
Higher net margin
DAVE
DAVE
47.8% more per $
DAVE
40.3%
-7.5%
NDLS
More free cash flow
DAVE
DAVE
$292.5M more FCF
DAVE
$289.7M
$-2.8M
NDLS
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
DAVE
DAVE
Annualised
DAVE
49.1%
-1.2%
NDLS

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Revenue
$163.7M
$122.1M
Net Profit
$65.9M
$-9.2M
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
39.2%
-5.2%
Net Margin
40.3%
-7.5%
Revenue YoY
62.4%
-4.1%
Net Profit YoY
292.4%
32.8%
EPS (diluted)
$4.60
$-0.20

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$163.7M
Q3 25
$150.7M
$122.1M
Q2 25
$131.8M
$123.8M
Q1 25
$108.0M
Q4 24
$100.8M
$122.8M
Q3 24
$92.5M
$127.4M
Q2 24
$80.1M
$121.4M
Q1 24
$73.6M
$124.3M
Net Profit
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$65.9M
Q3 25
$92.1M
$-9.2M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$-9.1M
Q1 25
$28.8M
Q4 24
$16.8M
$-6.8M
Q3 24
$466.0K
$-13.6M
Q2 24
$6.4M
$-6.1M
Q1 24
$34.2M
$-6.1M
Operating Margin
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
39.2%
Q3 25
38.8%
-5.2%
Q2 25
8.7%
-5.2%
Q1 25
31.4%
Q4 24
17.3%
-3.9%
Q3 24
0.9%
-9.0%
Q2 24
5.7%
-3.4%
Q1 24
50.9%
-3.7%
Net Margin
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
40.3%
Q3 25
61.1%
-7.5%
Q2 25
6.9%
-7.3%
Q1 25
26.7%
Q4 24
16.7%
-5.5%
Q3 24
0.5%
-10.7%
Q2 24
7.9%
-5.1%
Q1 24
46.5%
-4.9%
EPS (diluted)
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$4.60
Q3 25
$6.34
$-0.20
Q2 25
$0.62
$-0.20
Q1 25
$1.97
Q4 24
$1.09
$-0.15
Q3 24
$0.03
$-0.30
Q2 24
$0.47
$-0.14
Q1 24
$2.60
$-1.64

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$80.5M
$4.7M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$0
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$352.7M
$-38.9M
Total Assets
$487.4M
$280.6M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.00×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$80.5M
Q3 25
$49.9M
$4.7M
Q2 25
$61.8M
$1.4M
Q1 25
$47.1M
Q4 24
$49.8M
$3.3M
Q3 24
$35.2M
$1.8M
Q2 24
$48.7M
$1.3M
Q1 24
$56.6M
$3.0M
Total Debt
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$0
Q3 25
$75.0M
Q2 25
$75.0M
Q1 25
$75.0M
Q4 24
$75.0M
Q3 24
$75.0M
Q2 24
$75.0M
Q1 24
$75.0M
Stockholders' Equity
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$352.7M
Q3 25
$291.3M
$-38.9M
Q2 25
$217.1M
$-13.9M
Q1 25
$199.5M
Q4 24
$183.1M
$3.7M
Q3 24
$155.8M
$9.6M
Q2 24
$141.8M
$21.9M
Q1 24
$127.3M
$27.2M
Total Assets
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$487.4M
Q3 25
$433.3M
$280.6M
Q2 25
$363.6M
$319.4M
Q1 25
$315.7M
Q4 24
$299.3M
$340.5M
Q3 24
$272.2M
$346.3M
Q2 24
$247.2M
$360.4M
Q1 24
$235.6M
$368.1M
Debt / Equity
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
0.00×
Q3 25
0.26×
Q2 25
0.35×
Q1 25
0.38×
Q4 24
0.41×
Q3 24
0.48×
Q2 24
0.53×
Q1 24
0.59×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$290.0M
$4.3M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$289.7M
$-2.8M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
177.0%
-2.3%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
0.2%
5.8%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
4.40×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$486.2M
$-7.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$290.0M
Q3 25
$83.2M
$4.3M
Q2 25
$68.2M
$4.0M
Q1 25
$45.2M
Q4 24
$125.1M
$5.8M
Q3 24
$37.0M
$4.7M
Q2 24
$28.0M
$7.0M
Q1 24
$18.3M
$164.0K
Free Cash Flow
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
$289.7M
Q3 25
$83.2M
$-2.8M
Q2 25
$68.1M
$1.1M
Q1 25
$45.2M
Q4 24
$124.9M
$-1.3M
Q3 24
$37.0M
$-4.5M
Q2 24
$27.9M
$-1.6M
Q1 24
$18.3M
$-15.2M
FCF Margin
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
177.0%
Q3 25
55.2%
-2.3%
Q2 25
51.7%
0.9%
Q1 25
41.9%
Q4 24
123.8%
-1.1%
Q3 24
40.0%
-3.5%
Q2 24
34.8%
-1.4%
Q1 24
24.9%
-12.2%
Capex Intensity
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
0.2%
Q3 25
0.0%
5.8%
Q2 25
0.1%
2.4%
Q1 25
0.0%
Q4 24
0.3%
5.8%
Q3 24
0.1%
7.2%
Q2 24
0.2%
7.1%
Q1 24
0.0%
12.3%
Cash Conversion
DAVE
DAVE
NDLS
NDLS
Q4 25
4.40×
Q3 25
0.90×
Q2 25
7.55×
Q1 25
1.57×
Q4 24
7.45×
Q3 24
79.47×
Q2 24
4.41×
Q1 24
0.54×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

DAVE
DAVE

Service Based Revenue$153.2M94%
Interchange Revenue Net$6.4M4%
Transaction Based Revenue Other Net$4.1M3%

NDLS
NDLS

Food And Beverage$119.6M98%
Franchise$2.5M2%

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