August 2026 restaurant sales metrics and trends

Key takeaways Fast Casual sales grew +2.98% year-over-year in August 2026 (trailing 28-day average) Full Service sales grew +1.97% year-over-year in August 2026 (trailing 28-day average) Food costs averaged 28% of sales , a slight decrease from July 2026 Fresh crawfish was August’s biggest price mover, up +41% month-over-month Green peppers dropped the most, down -26% month-over-month The Northeast was the top-performing region, up +11%