New data released this week indicated that more consumers are spending money at restaurants in the United States, but the average dollars spent per check continues to decline.
In a report based on credit card data, First Data Corporation said the number of credit-card transactions at restaurants in April rose by 9.8 percent, up from quarterly increases in 2009 of 8.6 percent, 8.5 percent, 8.8 percent and 8.1 percent.
The data also showed a 5 percent dollar volume growth in restaurant spending in April, following a gain of just 2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 and gains hovering around just 1 percent in each of the first three quarters of 2009.
Average dollars spent per check in April, however, declined by 4.3 percent from a year ago, compared to a 5.6 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2009 and declines of about 7 percent in each of the first three quarters of 2009.
The April 2010 SpendTrend report is based on consumer spending data First Data tracks from credit and debit cards at U.S. merchant locations that use the company’s processing systems. First Data serves 5 million merchant locations, 2,000 card issuers and their customers and millions of consumers worldwide.
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