<p><strong>Washington, D.C. -</strong> September has brought more than just another round of warm weather. Stronger same-store sales and levels of customer traffic have caused the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) to top the 100 mark, with 100.1, for the first time in three months. The RPI, which tracks the monthly health of the U.S. restaurant industry, has recorded the mark as up 0.7 percent from August while hitting its highest level since June.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The Restaurant Performance Index is based on a survey of restaurant operators and "reflects current conditions and expectations for the industry for the next six months" and is determined in relation to the steady-state measurement of 100. Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association commented, "The September increase in the Restaurant Performance Index was fueled by improvements in the same-store sales and customer traffic indicators.” Riehle continued, “Among the forward-looking indicators, restaurant operators are more optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead, while their outlook for the overall economy remains cloudy."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">www.restaurant.org</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
