Restaurant operators reported a modest net increase in same-store sales for the fifth consecutive month in August. 

Forty-six percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between August 2024 and August 2025, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was down slightly from 48% of operators who reported higher sales in July. 

Forty-three percent of operators said their sales declined in August, compared to 42% in July.

In contrast to the net increase in same-store sales, restaurant operators continued to report dampened customer traffic readings. 

Thirty-eight percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between August 2024 and August 2025, down slightly from 40% in July. Forty-two percent of restaurant operators reported lower traffic in August, compared to 46% in July. 

August represented the seventh consecutive month in which operators reported a net decline in customer traffic.