Back To News/PR Index | Restaurant Longer-Term Recovery Emerges as Upward Sales Momentum Continues | “Although we have been excited to report on positive sales growth for most of the year, there was always the caveat of this only being a recovery from a short-term perspective,” commented Victor Fernandez, vice president of insights and knowledge for TDn2K. “The industry’s sales were better than a year ago, but in reality, we were still negative compared with where we were two years prior. However, there is some encouraging news in the fact that, over the last two years, two months have posted same-store sales growth on a two-year basis. Those two months were October and November of this year. What is perhaps more reassuring is that those two months were among the three strongest based on sales growth last year, meaning it’s not a matter of the industry jumping over some easy hurdles. We are starting to see some longer-term recovery in restaurant sales.” Recovery
Not Complete Without Traffic Growth
“Though chain restaurants as a whole are far from being able to solve their main problem of losing dining occasions to competitors outside the sector (independent restaurants, prepared food at grocery stores, convenience stores, etc.),” said Fernandez, “Black Box Intelligence data shows that those restaurant brands in the top quartile of performance have continuously achieved positive same-store traffic growth. Additionally, TDn2K in it’s White Box Social Intelligence research has revealed that it is factors such as superior service, an ambiance that meets expectations and consistency in execution throughout the system on all attributes of the restaurant experience that are enabling those brands to achieve traffic success.” Economy
Poised for Strong Holiday Season and Sustained Growth In First Half of
2019
“Looking toward 2019, while economic growth may moderate, it should remain above trend, which is another way to say it will be solid. That will likely mean further declines in the unemployment rate and faster increases in workers’ incomes. The real question is whether inflation accelerates. So far, the rise has been relatively modest and that is sustaining household spending power. But with the savings rate continuing to fall, any jump in prices would limit demand. The outlook for restaurant sales is for it to remain solid through much of the first half of 2019, but growth is likely to decelerate as we go through the second half. As
Consumer Preferences Change, Off-Premise Sales Fuel Growth
Another interesting insight gleaned from the latest Black Box Intelligence data is that consumers may be increasingly willing to buy their holiday-related meals from restaurants for consumption off-premise. Same-store sales growth for to-go, catering and banquets all posted double digit growth during the week of Thanksgiving compared with that same holiday week a year ago. Job
Growth and High Turnover: Workforce Headaches Persist
Besides keeping up with these vacancies, restaurants also need to recruit for new restaurant openings. People Report data shows chain restaurant jobs grew by 1.8 percent during October, up from 1.7 percent recorded for September. In this increasingly tight labor market in which the war for talent is a roadblock for successful restaurant operations, companies need to answer the question: what will attract employees to work for us and become engaged contributors? The answer, according to the data, can usually be found in compensation, career development, work/life balance and culture. TDn2K™ (Transforming Data into Knowledge) is the parent company of People Report™, Black Box Intelligence™ and White Box Social Intelligence™. People Report provides service-sector human capital and workforce analytics for its members monthly. Black Box Intelligence provides weekly financial and market level data for the restaurant industry. White Box Social Intelligence delivers consumer insights and reveals online brand health. TDn2K membership represents 43,000+ restaurant units, 2.5 million employees and over $69 billion in sales. They are also the producers of leading restaurant industry events including the Global Best Practices Conference held annually each January in Dallas, Texas. www.TDn2K.com Media
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