This post is part of a seven article report -- Food for thought: Best bets in food & beverage stocks.

"The fast-casual restaurant category is sizzling as consumers trim their eating budgets; this trend is helping Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA)," says Michael Cintolo in The Cabot Top Ten Report.

"In restaurant parlance, 'fast-casual' eateries are higher priced than fast-food chains such as McDonald's and KFC, but cheaper than casual dining restaurants such as Applebee's and Denny's.

This post is part of a seven article report -- Food for thought: Best bets in food & beverage stocks.

"Customers are trading down to McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) from higher-end restaurants," says growth stock expert Toby Smith in his ChangeWave Investing.

The fast food operator is also a buy from Bill Martin, who adds, the company continues to serve up solid results. In his BullMarket.com advisory, he reviews the stock's recent quarter.

First, Toby Smith explains, "Given the endless parade of depressing economic news, it's no wonder that most people have lost their appetite for food -- if not altogether, then at least for the finer dining.

"Our proprietary ChangeWave Alliance survey -- ongoing pols of thousands of individuals and investors in various industries and professions -- just 5% of respondents said they would spend more at restaurants, which is unchanged from the all-time low.

Two leading advisors -- both known for an expertise in technical analysts -- are bullish on the prospects for Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD), which operates and franchises casual food restaurants in 38 states.

Here's an overview of the stock from Joseph Hargett, an analyst with Schaeffer Investment Research, and Richard Schmidt, editor of The Stellar Stock Alert.

Schmidt explains, "You've got to love the action of Buffalo Wild Wings. Last month, the stock jumped up nearly 25% in one day and continued to move up.

"McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has bucked the global recession in February as both global and U.S. same *store sales rose," says Tracey Ryniec, who has chosen the fast food giant as its latest featured company in Zacks Ellite Stock of the Day.

The analyst explains, "The company, which operates more than 32,000 McDonald's restaurants in over 100 countries, reported February comparable sales results on Mar 9 that showed global sales rising 1.4% year over year even as Feb 2008 included an extra day due to leap year. Excluding the extra day, sales grew 5.4%.

"U.S. sales climbed 2.8%, or 6.8% if you exclude the extra calendar day in 2008. Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa rose 0.7%, or 4.1% if you exclude the extra calendar day. Only Europe saw a decline, losing 0.2%, but if you exclude the extra day, even Europe increased 4%.

"McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) continues to just hum along as a cash flow and profit machine," says trading and investing expert Bill Martin.

In his industry-leading BullMarket.com, he explains, "The king of the quick service restaurant sector once again booked a quarter's worth of same-store sales increases as it benefited from consumers 'trading down' from more expensive dining options."

"Though the headline fourth quarter numbers show a year-over-year drop in profit, McDonald's nonetheless delivered another strong quarter to wrap up 2008 and said sales were continuing to grow on a same-store basis so far in 2009.

This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.

"Trading near its all-time high, McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) -- my top idea for 2009 -- is a true relative-strength leader," says Ryan Detrick.

The technical analyst with Schaeffer's Investment Research, explains, "With the shares near their all-time high, MCD is a true relative-strength leader. Technically, the stock continues to find support from its rising 20-month moving average, as this trendline has provided support since mid-2003.

"McDonalds is the world's largest fast-food chain, with more than 31,000 restaurants worldwide. Given the record job losses and deteriorating worldwide economy, MCD should continue to do well as consumers will downgrade to more affordable dining options.

"Or as CEO Jim Skinner put it, 'McDonald's seems well positioned for recession. In bad times, people think twice about where to spend money when going out for food.'

"The CEO of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is bullish on his own stock; he recently bought $1.1 million in shares," says trading and investing expert Bill Martin in BullMarket.com.

"On October 23, CEO Jim Skinner purchased 20,000 shares at $55.00, increasing his holdings to 236,700 shares. The buy was the first for Skinner in at least five years. "Under the terms of McDonald's stock ownership guidelines, Skinner is expected to hold 6 times his annual base salary in shares, or $7.65 million in stock.

"He exceeded the ownership guidelines prior to his recent purchase and presently owns more than $12.55 million in shares, excluding unvested restricted stock, phantom stock, and options.

"Excluding dividends, shares of McDonald's have risen nearly 90% during Skinner's approximately four-year tenure at the helm, no small feat considering they rose just 2% in the preceding four years and 43% in the preceding eight years.

"I've spotted an excellent opportunity to cash in on the turnaround of one of America's most visible companies -- Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX)," says Jim Stanton.

The quantitative analyst and contributing editor to Xcelerated Profits Report explains, "I've had my eye on a number of retail stocks for some time now, looking for signs of a potential turnaround, and Starbucks is now high on my list."

"One of the main reasons for the slide in SBUX shares from its high of $40 in November 2006 was the overly aggressive expansion plan.

"And as food and dairy prices have soared, this has led to higher operating costs. In turn, this forced Starbucks to raise prices, just as consumers were struggling from the housing slump and soaring inflation.

"And as competition from the likes of McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts has turned up the heat, Starbucks has suffered charges related to closing out unprofitable stores. But Starbucks is tackling the problems.

"I think now is a particularly opportune time to buy the world's largest fast-food company, YUM! Brands (NYSE: YUM) ," says Louis Basenese.

The associate investment director and contributing editor to The Oxford Club observes, "YUM Brands operates 35,000 restaurants under the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands." Here's his review of the firm's outlook, including its expanding role in China.

"For starters, YUM keeps extending its streak of impressive results. For the seventh quarter in a row it beat expectations. Earnings per share increased 16% for the quarter and 28% year-to-date. Not to be overlooked either is the fact YUM raised guidance. Again.

"This quarter, fewer than 5% of companies in the S&P 500 can boast this triple whammy (beating earnings and revenue estimates and raising guidance). Ironically, while most of the other triple-whammy stocks enjoyed hefty single- and double-digit run-ups on the announcements, YUM sold off.

"And here's where I think most investors are missing the boat, and once again focusing too heavily on the short term. Yes, YUM's in a pinch. Food costs are rising and consumers are spending less.

"I am quite confident that business students in the future will be reading case studies on the battle between Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and McDonald's (NYSE: MCD)," says value investor Charles Mizrahi.

In his Hidden Values Alert, the advisor explains, "This is a classic case of a castle with a wide moat coming under attack because the attacker believes it has caught the duke napping." Here, Mizrahi shares a fascinating over the "Coffee War."

"As background, in 1982, Starbucks had five retail stores and was selling coffee to restaurants in Seattle, Washington. It was during that year that Howard Schultz signed on to manage retail sales and marketing. After traveling to Italy, he convinced the owners of Starbucks to open a coffee bar.

"Many U.S. companies are getting a lift from strong overseas business, and McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is no exception," says Richard Moroney, noting that overeas same-store sales are growing at roughly twice the rate seen at U.S. outlets.

"That's not to say that the firm's domestic business is stale," he adds in Dow Theory Forecasts. Indeed, he notes that the company has reported 51 consecutive months of same-store-sales growth and has been beefing up its U.S. stores with new menu items and longer operating hours.

Moroney explains, "McDonald's should continue to benefit from the ongoing rollout of new menu items, including premium salads, snack wraps, and breakfast items." The company, he notes, has been extending operating hours at some restaurants and said it wants all of its U.S. restaurants to open by 5 a.m. by 2009 to capture more of the growing fast food breakfast market.

Another key to McDonald's success, he contends, has been its willingness to shed operations and outlets that are underperforming or diverting resources from core operations. To that end, the firm sold its remaining interest in Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG)and agreed to sell its Boston Market chain.