by Calculated Risk on 2/28/2011 02:08:00 PM

This is one of several industry specific indexes I track each month.

Click on graph for larger image in graph gallery.

The index declined to 100.2 in January, barely indicating expansion.

More "Blame it on the snow!"

Unfortunately the data for this index only goes back to 2002.

From the National Restaurant Association: Restaurant Performance Index Declined in January Amid Weather-Dampened Sales and Traffic Levels

The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 100.2 in January, down 0.8 percent from its December level. Despite the decline, January marked the fourth time in the last five months that the RPI stood above 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators.
...
Due in large part to extreme weather conditions in some parts of the country, sales levels were dampened in January. Thirty-nine percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between January 2010 and January 2011, down from 48 percent of operators who reported higher same-store sales in December.
...
Restaurant operators also reported a net decline in customer traffic levels in January.
...
For the fourth consecutive month, restaurant operators reported a positive outlook for staffing gains in the months ahead.