December National Restaurant Sales Metrics

December might mark the beginning of the winter season, but nationwide restaurant sales were anything but cold last month. 

Overall sales ended at 14% up compared to December 2021, with the last week of the year looking very strong. 

By segment, Fast Casual ended up on top with 16% sales growth but Full Service was not far behind ending at 6% above last year. Both segments had an excellent final week of December - something we're hopeful to see continue next month.

Lettuces took nearly every spot on our Price Droppers list this month, which was well needed after their steep rises in November. Quail eggs snagged the top spot on the Movers list, followed by zucchini.

Food, wine, beer and liquor costs as a percentage of sales all decreased for MarginEdge customers in December, with food costs averaging 32% of sales.

We could not have asked for a better end to 2022, and are very excited to see this momentum continue when we look at January next month!