National restaurant sales metrics for April 2024 are here!
Full Service ended the month 1% up from April 2023's numbers and Fast Casual ended with a whopping 6% growth. No doubt about it, April 2024 was a fantastic month for restaurants from both segments, but Fast Casual really pulled out all the stops.
White onions topped our Droppers list with an average -32% price drop across MarginEdge customers in April, while Shishito peppers rose +50% to the top of our Movers list. Tomatoes, peppers and ramps (a spring staple for the truly trendiest of menus) all made it onto the Droppers list, while Savoy cabbage, asparagus and blueberry prices moved up.
The average food category costs as a percentage of sales increased from last month for MarginEdge customers, with food costs averaging 30% of sales. While up, 30% is still a healthy number!
Regionally, the Northeast ended the month with strong positive growth while the other regions ended all within w few percent of each other.
We're excited to see how Mother's Day, Memorial Day and Cinco de Mayo impact May's metrics, and we'll see you in June!