Numerous quick-service eateries are cooking up capital gains

You might think it is a bad idea to buy restaurant stocks right now, considering consumers aren��t spending freely on dining out and are more concerned with cutting costs. However, a host of quick-service restaurants and food stocks that can cash in on at-home sales are doing quite well right now. It also helps that these tough times are very stressful, and if you have to sacrifice a gourmet meal, the least you can do is enjoy a burger or a doughnut every week to offer your palate some small comfort.

I watch more than 5,000 publicly traded companies with my Portfolio Grader tool, ranking companies by a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. And this week, eight restaurant stocks to eat up.

Here they are, in alphabetical order. Each one of these stocks gets an ��A�� or ��B�� according to my research, meaning it is a ��strong buy�� or ��buy.��

BJ��s Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) operates 113 restaurants across the United States. BJRI stock has gained almost 41% year-to-date, compared to a gain of just 4% for the Dow Jones.

Domino��s Pizza Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) is the pizza chain that made headlines earlier this year for publicly redeveloping its pizza recipe. The marketing move has apparently paid dividends, as DPZ stock is up nearly 109% year-to-date.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE:KKD) is a retailer of doughnuts and packaged sweets. KKD stock has posted a modest gain of 7% since the start of 2011, which outpaces the broader markets.

McDonald��s Corp. (NYSE:MCD) is known worldwide for its signature Big Mac and other fast-food products. By providing inexpensive menu options, MCD is almost recession-proof and has gained 23% year-to-date.

Papa John��s Int’l, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) is known for its CEO as much as it��s known for its pizza. Since the start of 2011, PZZA stock has gained 30%.

Peet��s Coffee & Tea Inc. (NASDAQ:PEET) is a specialty coffee roaster. Like some of its competitors, PEET stock has gained big this year, at a tune of 38%.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ:SBUX) is internationally known for its wide range of coffee and caf�� products and has begun rolling out its popular line of winter drinks. SBUX stock has gained 37% since the start of 2011.

Tim Hortons Inc. (NYSE:THI) is a quick-service restaurant chain known mostly for its breakfast items. A 24% increase year-to-date has left shareholders pleased with their initial purchase.

Get more analysis of these picks and other publicly-traded stocks with Louis Navellier��s Portfolio Grader tool, a 100% free stock-rating tool that measures both quantitative buying pressure and eight fundamental factors.