Full-Service Restaurants Continued To Lose Traffic In Second Quarter, Reports NPD

Midscale and casual dining restaurants continued to see traffic declines in the second quarter of 2012, according to The NPD Group’s CREST data. Both segments have now seen four consecutive years of quarterly traffic declines, the research group reported.

A 1% gain in visits to quick-service concepts kept overall traffic flat in the quarter. QSR accounts for 78% of all restaurant traffic. Traffic at fine dining and upscale lodging gained 4%. Fine-dining traffic has been positive since the third quarter of ’10, as business travel has improved.

Noncommercial operators also saw another quarter of reduced visits, with traffic off 2%. NPD reported particular weakness in the business and industry and education segments.

Separately, in a release discussing the decline of restaurant visits on deals, NPD said annual traffic for the year ending in August rose 1%.

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