How is Your Restaurant Doing on Customer Traffic?

How does your restaurant compare to your peers on key metrics like same-store sales and customer traffic? The National Restaurant Association offers a simple way to access operating data points for comparison – take a 5-minute survey.

Each month, the NRA conducts its Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey among restaurant operators nationwide to track trends in key indicators. The results (which are anonymous and only used for aggregate data) are the base for the monthly Restaurant Performance Index, which is widely used to gauge trends in the industry. All respondents who complete the one-page, online survey receive exclusive, free access to the detailed results not included in the RPI, broken out by industry segment, type of ownership and state/region.

For example, 40 percent of restaurant operators reported higher customer traffic in September, while 39 percent reported a traffic decline. Fine dining (50 percent) and casual dining operators (42 percent) were more likely than their quickservice (38 percent) and fast casual (30 percent) counterparts to register traffic gains in September.

The survey asks about same-store sales and customer traffic levels, staffing and employee hours, capital expenditures, food costs and menu prices.

Restaurant operators: Take the survey now, and start tracking how your business compares to similar restaurants on a monthly basis.