Restaurant operators reported a net increase in same-store sales in April, though the mixed results continue to reflect uneven consumer spending. 

Forty-eight percent of restaurant operators said their same-store sales rose between April 2025 and April 2026, according to the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey. That was up slightly from 45% of operators who reported higher sales in March. 

Thirty-three percent of restaurant operators said their sales declined in April, down from 39% in March.

In contrast to the positive sales results, customer traffic readings deteriorated slightly in April. 

Twenty-seven percent of operators said their customer traffic rose between April 2025 and April 2026, down from 31% in March. Forty-nine percent of restaurant operators reported lower traffic in April, compared to 46% in March. 

April represented the 14th time in the last 15 months that operators reported a net decline in customer traffic.