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What is the Restaurant Performance Index?
The National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index is a monthly statistical barometer that tracks the health of the restaurant industry. The Restaurant Performance Index is based on responses to the Association's Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, a monthly survey of restaurateurs nationwide on key indicators, including same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures. The Index consists of two components -- the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.

The Current Situation Index is a composite index based on four "recent-period" restaurant industry indicators:

• Same-store sales: Compares same-store sales volume in the reference month versus the same month in the previous year
• Customer traffic: Compares customer traffic in the reference month versus the same month in the previous year
• Labor: Compares the number of employees and the average employee hours in the reference month versus the same month in the previous year
• Capital expenditures: Measures capital expenditure activity during the three most recent months.

The Expectations Index is a composite index based on four "forward-looking" restaurant industry indicators:

• Same-store sales: Restaurant operators’ outlook for same-store sales in six months, compared to the same period in the previous year
• Staffing: Restaurant operators’ expectations for their number of employees in six months, compared to the same period in the previous year
• Capital expenditures: Restaurant operators’ capital expenditure plans during the next six months
• Business conditions: Restaurant operators’ outlook for general business conditions during the next six months

When is the RPI released?
The Restaurant Performance Index is released on the last business day of each month. More detailed analysis, including data broken out by industry segment, can be found on Restaurant TrendMapper, the Association's subscription-based Web site that provides detailed analysis of restaurant industry trends.

Questions? Contact Bruce Grindy, National Restaurant Association senior director of economic analysis, at bgrindy@restaurant.org.