Restaurant Industry Gains Ground as Sales Improve

Conditions in the restaurant industry improved to the highest level since February, according to the latest National Restaurant Association Restaurant Performance Index.

The index stood at 100.7 in September, up 0.1 points from August and marking the fifth consecutive month of upward movement. The index is designed to measure the overall health of the restaurant industry, with any value over 100 indicating a period of expansion.

The increase was primarily credited to higher sales in September. Fifty-four percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales increased between September 2025 and September 2026. That was up from 51% who said the same in August and was the highest reading since 61% in February. By comparison, only 30% of operators reported a year-over-year sales decrease, and 16% said sales remained about the same. Operators were also optimistic about the months ahead, with 41% expecting their sales volume to improve over the next six months, and only 19% anticipating a decline.

Although sales continue to climb, customer traffic remains more mixed. Forty-two percent of operators said their customer traffic rose year-over-year, while 44% reported a decline. That was roughly in line with last month’s readings (43% higher and 46% lower), and it was the 19th time in the last 20 months that operators reported a net decline in traffic.

With conditions trending upward, operators remain committed to making capital expenditures for equipment, expansion, or remodeling. Fifty-five percent said they made a purchase during the last three months, up from 54% in August. Looking forward, 56% of operators are planning a capital expenditure sometime in the next six months, in line with August’s readings and marking the 18th consecutive month in which a majority of operators reported spending plans.

The full Restaurant Performance Index is available here.