Same-store sales and customer traffic

Restaurant operators reported a net increase in same-store sales in January, although comparisons were bolstered by much softer year-ago levels. 

Fifty-one percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between January 2024 and January 2025, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was up from 37% of operators who reported higher sales in December. 

Thirty-five percent of operators said their sales declined in January, down from 41% in December.

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 also reported a net increase in customer traffic levels in January. 

Forty-six percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between January 2024 and January 2025, up from just 27% of operators who reported higher traffic in December. 

Thirty-eight percent of operators said their traffic declined in January, down from 46% in December.

Track more economic indicators and read more analysis and commentary from the Association's economists.