--- title: "Study Finds Restaurant Sales And Traffic Takes A Hit In August" url: https://burnaze.com/article/6268428c-a1e4-401c-ad16-6020ae6ea8e8 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/study_finds_restaurant_sales_and_traffic_takes_a_hit_in_august.html author: "Kerry Pipes" category: "Restaurants" industry: "Restaurants" published: 2021-09-21T10:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T01:21:45.979Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/6264_plate.jpg --- # Study Finds Restaurant Sales And Traffic Takes A Hit In August **TL;DR:** Restaurant sales and traffic declined in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with full-service restaurants seeing a 3.8 percentage point drop in sales growth. Sales growth was just 6.1% in August, a drop of 2.1 percentage points compared to July’s strong sales growth. *By Kerry Pipes, originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-09-21. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/study_finds_restaurant_sales_and_traffic_takes_a_hit_in_august.html).* ## Story Restaurant sales and traffic had been riding high in recent months. That came to a halt in August as rising Covid numbers and media coverage of the Delta variant impacted sales and traffic numbers. Sales growth was just 6.1% in August, a drop of 2.1 percentage points compared to July’s strong sales growth, and traffic growth was -5.4% in August, according to the Black Box Intelligence Restaurant Guest Satisfaction Snapshot report. That was the softest sales growth reported since May and the worst traffic growth in the last three months. Not all segments were affected equally by the August sales downturn. Full-service restaurants saw their sales growth rate drop by 3.8 percentage points compared to July. Less sales and traffic meant less pressure on execution, especially while operating under an environment plagued by staffing shortages. It was a different story for limited-service brands. When Covid fears escalate, guests tend to shift some of their restaurant spending towards limited-service brands and away from full-service brands. Limited-service brands experienced an 0.8 percentage point improvement in their sales growth in August compared to July. You can find the complete report at blackboxintelligence.com . - Get Started in Franchising - Franchise Rankings & Awards - Franchise Sales & Development - Featured Franchise Stories Franchising.com is produced by Franchise Update Media. Franchise Update Media has its finger on the pulse of franchising with unrivalled audience intelligence and market driven data. No media company understands the franchise landscape deeper than Franchise Update Media. 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300A Washington, DC 20005 PH. (408) 402-5681 - Franchisee Financing & Lending - Site Selection & Real Estate - Supply Chain & Procurement - Annual Franchise Development Report - Multi-Unit Franchising Conference - Franchise Growth & Marketing Conference - Franchise Leadership & Development Conference - Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine - Franchise Update Magazine - Franchise Update Franchisor Report - Franchising Express Report - International Franchise Report - Multi-Unit Franchisee Report The multi-unit franchise opportunities listed above are not related to or endorsed by Multi-Unit Franchisee or Franchise Update Media Group. We are not engaged in, supporting, or endorsing any specific franchise, business opportunity, company or individual. No statement in this site is to be construed as a recommendation. We encourage prospective franchise buyers to perform extensive due diligence when considering a franchise opportunity. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - Kerry Pipes (person) - restaurant sales (topic) - Delta (company) - Black Box Intelligence (company) - covid impact (topic) - full-service restaurants (topic) - limited service brands (topic) --- Originally reported by Kerry Pipes, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/study_finds_restaurant_sales_and_traffic_takes_a_hit_in_august.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/6268428c-a1e4-401c-ad16-6020ae6ea8e8).