Restaurant operators reported a net decline in same-store sales for the first time in 9 months. 

Thirty-seven percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between December 2024 and December 2025, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was down from 47% of operators who reported higher sales in November. 

Fifty-three percent of operators said their sales declined in December, up from 44% in November.

Restaurant operators also continued to report customer traffic declines in December. 

Twenty-eight percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between December 2024 and December 2025, down from 30% in November. Sixty percent of restaurant operators reported lower traffic in December, up from 51% in November. 

December represented the 11th consecutive month in which operators reported a net decline in customer traffic.