The big takeaway is the average check for QSR is accelerating, which is the biggest driver for SSS, while traffic remains negative. Casual dining is still suffering!
- For the week ending April 26, comp sales for the industry were -47.2%, which was essentially flat from the previous week. As a comparison, the industry improved its comp sales each week by an average of almost 7.0 percentage points in the previous 3-week period.
- The disparity between Full-service restaurants and Quick Service continues at a rapid pace. Full-Service brands lost 62% of their comp sales during the week. Limited-service (QSR + FAST CASUAL) restaurants continue faring much better, at -17% comp sales for the week.
- Interestingly, the data shows that in Texas for Saturday, May 2 (the second-day restaurant dining rooms were allowed to reopen in the state but at only 25% capacity), same-store sales for full-service restaurants dropped 36%; 30% better than the decline in sales recorded nationally the same day.
- The data from Texas and Georgia (both allowing dining rooms to be open in some capacity May 1), revealed that, on average, full-service restaurant operators only opened dining rooms in about 40% of their locations in Texas and 31% of them in Georgia that day.
- Quick service comp sales were less than -2% during the week, which makes it the only segment close to getting back to normal, pre-pandemic sales.
- Importantly, the QSR average check continues to accelerate. Quick service checks grew by 20% during the week, while growth was 16% for fast-casual. On the flip slide, guest checks continue dropping for full-service brands, largely due to lost beverage sales.
- Allowing restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption has had a very small positive impact on lost beverage sales in those states in which it has been authorized.
- Same-store sales beverage sales for casual dining in Texas, Nebraska, Arizona, Connecticut and California (states that allow off-premise alcohol sales and were the best performers on alcoholic beverage sales growth) were all within -92% to -94% for the week, little change from the -98% national beverage sales growth rate for casual dining.
