AFC Enterprises Inc., parent of the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen chain, said the success of several value meal promotions in the first quarter led to a return to positive global same-store sales for the first time in about three years. The company still posted a nearly 22-percent decline in first-quarter profit.

Jamba Inc. on Thursday posted wider losses for its first quarter as its smoothie chain continued to struggle with falling sales.

High unemployment in California was blamed for a 5.1-percent decline in same-store sales among company-operated Carl’s Jr. units for the first quarter of 2010, though sister chain Hardee’s reported an increase of 2.5 percent, parent company CKE Restaurants Inc. reported Wednesday.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. said Thursday it would increase advertising and add new menu items to spark sales after its profit was nearly halved in the first quarter.

Improvements in guests’ perception of service and value at some of the country’s largest restaurant companies contributed to another quarterly uptick in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The national economic indicator, which measures customer evaluations of products and services in several industries, rose 0.4 percent for the first quarter of 2009, to a score of 76 on a 100-point scale.

O’Charley’s Inc., operator of 372 casual-dining restaurants under the O’Charley’s, Stoney River Legendary Steaks and Ninety Nine Restaurants chains, said Tuesday that profits for the first quarter fell 31 percent, the result of a continued drop-off in consumer spending.

Despite spending more on marketing and new promotions for bite-size Bagel Poppers and free bagel Fridays, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. saw a decline in same-store sales and profit in the first quarter.

California Pizza Kitchen Inc. officials on Thursday credited cost savings and efficiency measures for better-than-expected first quarter results.

Despite a net loss and a double-digit same-store sales decline in its first quarter, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants Inc. upgraded Wednesday its full-year outlook as the company expects to gain traction with cost-cutting initiatives and tax benefits later this year.

First-quarter earnings season could bring a reversal of fortunes for restaurant stocks, as casual-dining companies have gained momentum recently and quick-service chains have stumbled.

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