Restaurant figures -- same stores sales mostly down but sometimes up

From Nation's Restaurant News (3/16):

A look at industry same-store sales
By Mike Dempsey

"Nearly all public restaurant companies reported fourth-quarter same-store sales results this month, and winter storms and lingering economic pressures pushed most into negative territory. Some, mainly because of value messaging, moved in a positive direction.

For the fourth quarter, or the quarter ended closest to December for companies on a non-calendar fiscal year, quick-service chains on average posted a larger same-store sales decline than any other restaurant industry segment. Quick-service chains were hurt by rising unemployment as well as comparisons with a year earlier when sales trends for fast food were still stable. Casual-dining chains still struggled for customer traffic in the fourth quarter, but some same-store sales results did ease from a year ago. On average, pizza chains and coffee and snack brands were able to post positive same-store sales in this harsh environment, while the fast-casual segment, which is typically the fastest-growing segment, posted, on average, a same-store sales decline of 0.8 percent. That was mostly driven by a double-digit drop of 11.9 percent at Cosi." ....

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