A majority of restaurant operators reported lower same-store sales in February, which came on the heels of a more positive report in January.

Only 18% of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between February 2024 and February 2025, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was down sharply from 51% of operators who reported higher sales in January.

Sixty-three percent of operators said their sales declined in February, up from 35% in January.

Restaurant operators also reported a deterioration in customer traffic readings in February.

Only 13% of operators said their customer traffic rose between February 2024 and February 2025, down from 46% of operators who reported higher traffic in January.

Sixty-six percent of operators said their traffic declined in February, up from 38% in January.