Same-store sales and customer traffic

Restaurant operators reported mixed same-store sales results in September, continuing the trend of the last several months. 

Forty-five percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between September 2024 and September 2025, while 44% reported a sales decline. 

That was roughly on par with the readings in August, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey.

Restaurant operators: Want to know how your business compares to similar restaurants on a monthly basis? Find out by taking a few minutes to participate in the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey. All survey respondents receive exclusive access to the detailed survey results each month, broken out by industry segment and type of ownership.

While same-store sales readings held up in September, restaurant operators reported a deterioration in customer traffic levels. 

Thirty-four percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between September 2024 and September 2025, down from 38% in August. Fifty-two percent of restaurant operators reported lower traffic in September, up from 42% in August. 

September represented the eighth consecutive month in which operators reported a net decline in customer traffic.

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