Restaurants should look small to win big

Editor's note: This new and exclusive series to Nation’s Restaurant News provides C-level insights into the sales and traffic data from clients subscribing to Black Box Intelligence, a financial performance benchmarking company. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Nation’s Restaurant News.

“The Restaurant Industry Snapshot” for the month of April is reporting that actual restaurant sales and guest traffic in 115 DMAs, or designated market areas, has improved versus March, but still remains slow compared to the previous six months.

This information is consistent with the “Restaurant Willingness to Spend Index” from our partner Consumer Edge Research. That index remained flat in April, compared with March, and was lower than the preceding 3 months when the industry seemed to be rebounding with encouraging positive comparable sales and improving traffic. Industry employment through March, as measured through our sister company, People Report, and its “Human Capital Index,” shows job creation continues and management retention is positive, but there is a slight increase in employee turnover.

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