News

April restaurant sales up more than 3%, research says

Applied Predictive Technologies' index found an increase of 3.6 percent in restaurant sales for the same month, compared to April of last year.

May 12, 2015

After TDn2K’s research showed 1.1 percent growth in same-store restaurant sales for April 2015,  Applied Predictive Technologies' index found an increase of 3.6 percent in restaurant sales for the same month, compared to April of last year. A 3.4 percent increase in check size drove the changes, APT reported.

The APT Index of QSR  sales found an increase of 5.9 percent, according to the company news release.

"QSR sales have increased more than 5 percent for several months, starting in Q4 2014 and continuing through April of this year," said Patrick O’Reilly, APT president and COO in a statement. "At the same time, FSR sales are seeing positive sales comps even as new fast casual players gain share. We’ve seen many full-service restaurants agilely testing new initiatives to surprise and delight their guests."

April Restaurant Sales – by APT Index numbers:

The big picture

APT Index of restaurant sales: [+3.6 percent], driven by an increase in check size [+3.4 percent]

APT Index of quick-service restaurant sales: [+5.9 percent]

APT Index of full-service restaurant sales: [+2.3 percent]

Restaurant sales better in areas where unemployement decreased

In areas where unemployment decreased from last year, sales increased: APT Index restaurant sales [+4.0 percent], quick-service restaurant sales [+6.3 percent], and full-service restaurant sales [+2.7 percent]

In areas where unemployment increased from last year, sales comps were comparatively lower: APT Index restaurant sales [+3.2 percent], quick-service restaurant sales [+5.5 percent], and full-service restaurant sales [+1.9 percent]

Major Cities with the largest increase in the APT Index of Restaurant Sales

Riverside, CA [+6.3 percent]

Minneapolis, MN [+6.1 percent]

Phoenix, AZ [+5.8 percent]

Denver, CO [+4.9 percent]

San Francisco, CA [+4.7 percent]

Major Cities with the smallest increase in the APT Index of Restaurant Sales

Baltimore, MD [+1.0 percent]

Detroit, MI [+1.2 percent]

Houston, TX [+1.8 percent]

Washington, DC [+2.1 percent]

San Diego, CA [+2.4 percent]

The APT Index aggregates data from sales registers at more than 100,000 stores across the U.S. to show how year-over-year sales performance changes, the company said.