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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