News

Rain impacts June restaurant sales

Though sales comps were positive overall, performance varied across the U.S. based on how much it rained in different areas.

July 16, 2015

Restaurant sales enjoyed an increase of 2.6 percent nationwide in June 2015, compared to June of last year, according to Applied Predictive Technologies. The boost was driven by an increase of 3.6 percent in check size. Though sales comps were positive overall, performance varied across the U.S. was based on how much it rained in different areas, the company said in a press release.

"We suspect that Tropical Storm Bill and other harsh weather events had people staying at home this month in the areas affected," said Patrick O’Reilly, APT President and COO. "Restaurants have been performing well this year, so even though all cities had positive sales comps compared with last June, you can see that cities where these storms hit seemed to feel the effects."

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

Here's a glance of the highlights from APT's report:

Areas with more rainy days saw lower sales comps.

Impact of rain on overall APT Index restaurant sales: 

    Less than five rainy days: [+3.0 percent]
    More than five rainy days: [+2.2 percent]

Impact of rain on APT Index quick-service restaurant sales: 

    Less than five rainy days: [+5.1 percent]
    More than five rainy days: [+3.5 percent]

Impact of rain on APT Index full-service restaurant sales: 

    Less than five rainy days: [+2.8 percent]
    More than five rainy days: [+2.0 percent]

Top performing metro areas in June by APT Index: 

    Riverside, CA: [+7.7 percent]
    San Francisco, CA: [+6.0 percent]