5 Figures to Know From the Latest Restaurant Performance Index

Operators are increasingly making or planning to make capital equipment expenditures, expanding and/or remodeling, and customer traffic and sales alike are trending in a positive direction for the vast majority.

That data and more was highlighted in the National Restaurant Association’s latest Restaurant Performance Index for the month of April. Overall, the index stood at 106.3, up from 105.1 the month prior, while the Current Situation Index and Expectations Index also inched upward.

Here are the five figures you need to know:

• 74%: The percentage of restaurant operators who plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months. The figure was up from 64% in March and represents the highest reading in the nearly 20-year history of the association’s monthly survey.
• 61%: The percentage of restaurant operators who made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the last three months—up from 58% in March and at the highest level since February 2020.
• 94%: The percentage of restaurant operators who reported a same-store sales increase between April 2020 and April 2021. Overall, however, industry sales remain below pre-pandemic levels.
• 93%: The percentage of restaurant operators who said customer traffic increased between April 2020 and April 2021.
• 1 in 10: The slice of limited-service operators who said their sales were lower this April than they were in April 2020.

To view the index in full, click here.