Driven by stronger same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) registered a moderate increase in November. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 101.8 in November, up 0.5 percent from a level of 101.2 in October. Growth in the RPI was buoyed by the same-store sales and customer traffic indicators, which both improved for the second consecutive month.
Looking forward, restaurant operators are generally optimistic about sales growth in the coming months, while their plans for capital expenditures also ticked higher. However, restaurant operators’ outlook for the overall economy slipped to its lowest level in over two years.