WASHINGTON — The outlook for the restaurant industry remained positive in May, as the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of restaurant activity was unchanged from its April level.
The Association's Restaurant Performance Index — a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry — stood at 101.6 in May, its 35th consecutive month above 100.
Restaurant operators reported positive same-store sales for the 34th consecutive month.
Forty-nine percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between May 2005 and May 2006 — up from 48 percent of operators who registered a sales gain in April. Twenty-eight percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline between May 2005 and May 2006, down from 36 percent who reported similarly in April.
Twenty-three percent of operators reported no change in sales.
