Research
May 15, 2025
Total restaurant industry sales
Restaurant sales rose for the second consecutive month in April
Despite a deterioration in sentiment and some cracks beginning to form in the household balance sheet, consumers remain steadfast in their desire to spend at restaurants.
Eating and drinking places* registered total sales of $99.1 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That was up 1.2% from the sales volume of $97.9 billion in March.
April’s strong sales performance came on the heels of a robust 3.0% increase in March – the strongest monthly increase in more than two years. The last 2 months represented a solid improvement from a 4-month period in which sales remained relatively flat.
[Note: The April sales report included the Census Bureau’s annual revisions to the data. While the month-to-month trend in eating and drinking place sales remained generally consistent, the total monthly sales volume was revised lower.]
Looking beyond the solid gains of the last 2 months, restaurant sales growth has largely been driven by menu price gains. As a result, real restaurant sales remained relatively flat during the past 2+ years.
However, the recent uptick in sales broke out from that trend, based on the preliminary data. As a result, eating and drinking place sales were up 3.8% between April 2024 and April 2025, on an inflation-adjusted basis. That represented the strongest real sales increase since December 2023 (+5.8%).
*Eating and drinking places are the primary component of the U.S. restaurant and foodservice industry and represent approximately 72% of total restaurant and foodservice sales.
Eating and drinking places* registered total sales of $99.1 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That was up 1.2% from the sales volume of $97.9 billion in March.
April’s strong sales performance came on the heels of a robust 3.0% increase in March – the strongest monthly increase in more than two years. The last 2 months represented a solid improvement from a 4-month period in which sales remained relatively flat.
[Note: The April sales report included the Census Bureau’s annual revisions to the data. While the month-to-month trend in eating and drinking place sales remained generally consistent, the total monthly sales volume was revised lower.]
Looking beyond the solid gains of the last 2 months, restaurant sales growth has largely been driven by menu price gains. As a result, real restaurant sales remained relatively flat during the past 2+ years.
However, the recent uptick in sales broke out from that trend, based on the preliminary data. As a result, eating and drinking place sales were up 3.8% between April 2024 and April 2025, on an inflation-adjusted basis. That represented the strongest real sales increase since December 2023 (+5.8%).
*Eating and drinking places are the primary component of the U.S. restaurant and foodservice industry and represent approximately 72% of total restaurant and foodservice sales.