February 2025 saw restaurant sales drop by approximately 0.7% on a 3-month moving average, marking the steepest decline since March 2024's -0.3% downturn.
The factors that appear to be driving this reversal include economic uncertainty which intensified due to recent Trump administration policies, including the introduction of new tariffs and significant reductions in the federal workforce.
Rising operational costs have impacted profitability, with nearly 80% of rest...