---
title: "Restaurant Traffic Slows in January as Guest Check Growth Hits Record High"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/1f268ef8-926b-48fd-b1c1-9aa6ff678d9c
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/restaurant-traffic-slows-in-january-as-guest-check-growth-hits-record-high-2718075
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2022-02-28T14:09:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:38:37.246Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/c0f5ebc31ec179ae476cf8bc6f9c2d946775.jpg
---

# Restaurant Traffic Slows in January as Guest Check Growth Hits Record High

**TL;DR:** Restaurant traffic slowed by 0.9% in January, but the average guest check hit a record high, indicating potential future growth. Despite the drop in restaurant sales, the industry is in a more favorable position regarding future growth than this time last year.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-02-28. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/restaurant-traffic-slows-in-january-as-guest-check-growth-hits-record-high-2718075).*

## Story

According to data from Black Box Intelligence , while restaurant traffic slowed -0.9% during the month of January, the average guest check hit a record high.

Despite the drop in restaurant sales in January 2022, Black Box Intelligence said that after weathering yet another wave of COVID infections, restaurants are in a more favorable position regarding future growth than this time last year.

Lower guest counts continue to affect the restaurant industry: Aside from the omicron variant that prevented many from leaving their homes due to illness, rising food prices are causing concern for consumers and restaurants.

Inflation hit a 40-year high in January at 7.5%, and the economic pressure is being felt by consumers and restaurants alike. In order to offset the cost of rising food prices, brands are raising menu prices. In turn, this results in higher guest checks, which may deter consumers from eating outside their homes. Additionally, staffing shortages continue to affect the industry, as does the ongoing supply crisis.

The Fed is expected to introduce several interest rate hikes throughout the year, with a goal of taming inflation and helping the economy stabilize.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- menu pricing (topic)
- inflation (topic)
- Black Box Intelligence (company)
- restaurant traffic (topic)
- staffing shortages (topic)
- The Fed (regulator)
- guest check growth (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/restaurant-traffic-slows-in-january-as-guest-check-growth-hits-record-high-2718075). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/1f268ef8-926b-48fd-b1c1-9aa6ff678d9c).