The trend: Many restaurants are feeling the squeeze as cost-conscious consumers scale back on discretionary spending.

• Just 43% of restaurant operators reported YoY same-store sales growth in March—an anemic result, though a marked improvement from February, when only 18% reported gains, per the National Restaurant Association’s monthly tracking survey.
• Another red flag: Only 29% of operators had a YoY increase in customer traffic in March. While that’s up from 13% in February, it still signals broad-based softness in industry demand.