August heat brought positive sales growth for Fast Casual restaurants, with a strong recovery for the Full Service segment mid-month.
Fast Casual beat out Full Service once again, with sales ending equal to August 2022's numbers and Full Service ended just south of neutral at -2%. Full Service's very positive trajectory during the last half of the month is definitely encouraging as we head into the end of the year.
Chayote Squash's reign at the top of our Movers list in July was short-lived, as it topped our Droppers list for August. Celery and corn prices also dropped in August compared to July 2023 prices. Miso Paste prices saw a 60% increase on average for MarginEdge customers, followed by Jumbo Lump Crabmeat and Cheddar Cheese Blocks on our Movers list.
Food, beer, wine and liquor average category costs as a percentage of sales increased slightly from last month for MarginEdge customers in August, with food costs averaging 30% of sales.
Across the nation, sales ended up slightly below July's final numbers, with the Northeast fairing the best.
We're looking forward to September's numbers with a boost from Labor Day weekend sales. See you in October!