Same-store sales and customer traffic

Same-store sales and customer traffic

Restaurant operators reported mixed same-store sales and customer traffic in May

Restaurant operators reported a net decline in same-store sales in May, though readings were somewhat more positive than recent months. 

Forty-three percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between May 2023 and May 2024, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was up from 38% of operators who reported higher sales in April. 

Forty-five percent of restaurant operators said their sales were lower in May, down from 53% who reported a sales decline in April.                

Restaurant operators: Want to know how your business compares to similar restaurants on a monthly basis? Find out by taking a few minutes to participate in the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey. All survey respondents receive exclusive access to the detailed survey results each month, broken out by industry segment and type of ownership.

Restaurant operators continued to report negative customer traffic in May. 

Eighteen percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between May 2023 and May 2024, while 57% reported a traffic decline. That represented the 14th consecutive month of net declines in customer traffic. 

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