Operations

US restaurant traffic increases after January decline

Photo by istock.com

March 25, 2022

Online and physical restaurant traffic was up 2% and consumer spend jumped up 8% in February, compared to a year ago, according to The NPD Group.

Yet total restaurant visits in February were down 8% from a pre-pandemic level in February 2020, according to a press release on the research group's data.

Quickservice restaurant traffic improved by 1% in February compared to a 7% decline a year earlier. Online and physical visits to full-service restaurants increased by 6%, over a 22% decline the same month last year.

Restaurant morning meal continued to recover visits in February with a 5% increase compared to a 12% decline in February 2021. Quickservice morning meal online and physical traffic, representing 88% of total industry morning meal visits, increased by 6% this February compared to an 11% decline last February. Total restaurant dinner traffic improved by 6% compared to a 12% decline the same month a year ago.

"February began with visits soft as omicron suppressed consumer sentiment for dining out. On the other hand, the back half of February benefitted from comparisons to last year's historic winter deep freeze," David Portalatin, NPD food industry advisor and author of "Eating Patterns in America," said in the release. "Looking ahead, we should see some seasonal demand start to heat up in March and COVID-related concerns diminishing. The wild card will be how consumers respond to ongoing inflation, including $4-plus per gallon gasoline."