It appears that Wendy's/Arby's (WEN) is about to have a roast beef sale. The company announced this morning that it is considering selling the struggling Arby's chain in order to focus more on the Wendy's hamburger chain.

Both sides of the company's eateries, Wendy's and Arby's, have seen sales slump, but Arby's has had the most problems thanks mainly to sandwiches that can cost more than five bucks. With such a price tag , those sandwiches weren't selling wel in the current economic atmosphere.

Fast-food entity Sonic (SONC) closed Tuesday's regular session at a quote of $10.10. That represented a gain of a mere two pennies going into the after-the-bell earnings release. I guess investors weren't too excited by the prospects of the data.

Shares didn't do much in the extended session either, but popped about 4% at the opening bell Wednesday. For a longer-term perspective, take a look at the one-year chart. The stock seems to be doing its best to climb back to higher levels. Returning to the 52-week high of $13.11 would be nice.

Moments ago, food firm Yum! Brands (YUM) reaffirmed its 2010 earnings per share (EPS) growth forecast. Ahead of its annual investor meeting, the group restated expectations for EPS growth of 14%, less special items. In addition, YUM believes it will deliver 2011 EPS growth of 10%, excluding special items. These numbers are bolstered by the company's strength in China. CEO David Novak stated, "2010 has been a strong year led by our China business, and I'm pleased to report we remain on track to deliver 14% EPS growth."

Yum! Brands (YUM), a restaurant entity whose multiple concepts compete with McDonald's (MCD) and Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN), gave shareholders some great news this week: their dividend is going up! According to the press release, the quarterly payment is now 19% higher, coming in at 25 cents per share.

Not bad at all. Looks like management is feeling good about future cash flows. As we all know, dividend increases can be indicative of fundamental fiscal strength. And I like it when a dividend is backed by a strong portfolio that is well-recognized by consumers. Establishments like KFC and Taco Bell are strong trademarks.

McDonald's (MCD) was down Monday. What a disappointment. How can Mickey D's be down when the rest of the market was up? Hey, it happens.

But here's the interesting thing about the shares. Even though they closed down 0.6% (in some sense, that isn't really down so much as it is flat) to $74.57, they're still rather close to the 52-week high of $76.26 -- and quite far off from the 52-week low of $53.88. There's something to be said for that these days, right?

Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN) issued its second-quarter earnings on Thursday. The fast-food entity beat expectations. But, as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't any big deal. In fact, the market sort of agreed with me. By the end of the trading session, shares were off by a mere penny, settling out at a price of $4.14. Volume wasn't that interesting, either.

According to Briefing.com, net profit of 6 cents per share went beyond the estimate by a penny. However, same-store sales at both the Wendy's and Arby's declined. System-wide comps in North America contracted 1.7% for the former and 7.4% for the latter.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) was down roughly 2% as I began composing this piece during the afternoon session. I hope investors weren't paying attention to the bears who were in control of the fast-food giant's shares. To me, the stock seems to be in good shape, and in the kind of trading climate we're in, it could be a useful instrument for the cautious player.

I'm seeing a quote of around $70 go by on my screen. Not bad in the least, considering that the 52-week high is $71.84. It shows the kind of resilience the stock possesses. Indeed, considering how many equities have pulled back from their 52-week highs, you've got to enjoy this element of the story.

In the battle for pizza-chain dominance, it was Papa John's International (PZZA) that took the cake (or rather the crust). The Consumerist reports that the latest results from the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index -- tracking points on customer expectations, perceived quality and value, customer complaints, and customer loyalty -- show Papa John's topped its peers in both the pizza business and the fast-food sector overall.

The chain improved its score by 6.7% from last year, hitting 80/100.