March 12, 2026

February 2026 National Restaurant Sales Metrics

Written by: [me] marketeam

Check out the national restaurant sales metrics for February 2026!

The trailing 4-week (28-day) average of year-over-year (YOY) sales for Fast Casual came in at +5.58% and Full Service at +0.93% at the end of February compared to 2025 sales.

Across the 7-day moving average chart, both segments saw very strong performance over Valentine's Day weekend, peaking at +12% growth for Fast Casual and +10% growth for Full Service.

Food costs averaged 29% of sales last month, representing a +1% increase from the average in January.

Pita bread topped our Droppers list with prices -48% lower on average than in January, followed by baguettes, down -15%. On our Movers chart, grape tomato prices came in with the highest increase at +33% higher than in January, followed by live lobster (+29%) and fresh tomatoes (+26%).

Regionally, the Midwest and the Northeast ended the month with the highest performance, at +11% and +10% growth respectively.

See you in April!