Restaurant Sales Continue To Show Above Trend Gains, McDonald’s Posts A Positive Quarter

Restaurant and bar sales rose another 0.7% month-on-month in September, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s monthly retail sales report for September. And McDonald’s reported the first quarterly gain, 0.9%, in same-store sales in the U.S. market in two years. These reports are among the signs that the restaurant market in the U.S. continues to post moderately strong growth this year.

The September sales gain at “foodservices and drinking places” comes on the heels of a 0.7% increase in August. For the quarter ended September, such sales are running 8.2% ahead of the same period last year, the Census Bureau reported. On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales reached $52.691 billion.

McDonald’s attributed the positive quarter in the U.S. in part to the introduction of all-day breakfast and its “Two for $2” value promotion. The world’s largest restaurant chain said global same-store sales rose 4% with a very strong 8.9% gain in China and a 4.6% gain in so-called “lead markets,” which include the U.K., Germany, Australia and Canada.

Other leading chains, including BJ’s, Del Taco and Chipotle, also have reported continued increases in same-store sales for the third quarter. Technomic Inc. data on same-store sales for 69 chains rose a weighted 2.36% in the second quarter. This was down from gains in the fourth quarter 2014 and first quarter this year of 3.07% and 3.06%, respectively. But those two quarters saw the biggest gains in same-store sales in years.

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