Restaurant Performance Index Highest in 14 Months

WASHINGTON — The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index achieved a 14-month high in May, thanks to increased sales and customer traffic.
The May RPI measured 101.8, a 9% increase from April. It was the third straight monthly gain, as well as the third consecutive month with the RPI over 100.
The May increase in the Restaurant Performance Index was driven by broad-based gains in the current situation indicators, most notably positive same-store sales and customer traffic results,” Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement. “In addition, restaurant operators remain optimistic about continued sales growth and a majority plan to make a capital expenditure in the next six months.”
Nearly two-thirds of restaurant operators saw a same-store sales gain between May 2012 and May 2013, compared to 49% in April. In addition, 47% reported an increase in customer traffic between May 2012 and May 2013, up from 36% in April.
Restaurant operators also are optimistic about the future, with 47% saying they expect to have higher sales in six months. Fifty-seven percent plan to make a capital expenditure in the next six months.
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