Eating- And Drinking-Place Sales Hit New Record In October

The partial shutdown of the federal government and the debt-ceiling standoff apparently had little impact on restaurant sales. According to preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau, eating- and drinking-place sales hit a record $46.3 billion in October, up nearly 1%. That number was up from a downwardly revised September figure of $45.9 billion and exceeds the previous record of $46.1 set in April.

The National Restaurant Association pointed out in its Trendmapper release on the retail sales numbers that relatively strong jobs growth and a nearly 3% decline in gasoline prices during the month may have helped restaurant sales. October was the fourth consecutive month of monthly gains in sales.

In comparison to restaurant sales, grocery-store sales edged up only 0.1% in the month and overall retail sales rose 0.4%. Restaurant sales have risen a seasonally adjusted 3.9% for the past 12 months. Grocery-store sales are up 2.1% for the period.