Same-store sales and customer traffic

Restaurant operators reported mixed same-store sales results in March, following the elevated readings registered in February. 

Forty-five percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between March 2025 and March 2026, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was down from 61% of operators who reported higher sales in February. 

Thirty-nine percent of restaurant operators said their sales declined in March, up from 27% in February.

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 reported a net decline in customer traffic in March, after registering positive results in February for the first time in 13 months. 

Thirty-one percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between March 2025 and March 2026, down from 43% in February. 

Forty-six percent of restaurant operators reported lower traffic in March, compared to 30% in February.

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