The State of Local Restaurants 2019
CALIFORNIA
We analyzed transactions for every day of the 2018 calendar year at 42,223 small, local restaurants across the United States, including California. The result is a comprehensive look at when local restaurants do the most business, when they seat the most guests, and when customers tend to spend a little extra when eating out.
What we learned about local restaurant sales in California
California is the 3rd-ranked state for average restaurant revenues in the United States, pulling in 26% more in daily revenue than the national average on a given day.
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How much do restaurants in California make on an average day?
On a given day, restaurants in California brought in $1,601 in revenue. The average restaurant also processed about 52 transactions each day while seeing customers spend an average of $30.97 per ticket.
| Sales Revenue | Transactions | Ticket Size |
| $1,601 | 52 | $30.94 |
| National Rank: 3 | National Rank: 6 | National Rank: 11 |
How much do local restaurants in California make each week?
Weekends are big for restaurants across the country, and things were no different in the Golden State, with 54% of all revenue coming in between Friday and Sunday.
Saturday was the biggest day of the week, accounting for 19% of all local restaurant revenue. Monday was the lowest performing day of the week, accounting for 11% of all revenue.
Saturday was also the busiest day of the week in terms of foot traffic, with California restaurants processing an average of 60 transactions per day.
Californians open their pocketbooks the most on Sundays, spending $35.80 per ticket on average. Which is 16% more than the average ticket throughout the week.
How much does the average restaurant in California make in a year?
Restaurants in California experience their biggest months during the summer, as opposed to most restaurants across the country where revenue stays mostly consistent throughout the year.
Top 5 days for California restaurants
Californians clearly love celebrating Mom and Dad, as Mother's Day and Father's Day claimed the top four spots for restaurants in the Golden State.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
5/13/18 Mother's Day |
5/12/18 Day before Mother's Day |
6/17/18 Father's Day |
6/16/18 Day before Father's Day |
3/24/18 |
| Sunday | Saturday | Sunday | Saturday | Saturday |
California restaurants on prominent days
Restaurants look to events and holidays to generate big sales for their business. Here’s how prominent days rank compared to the average day.
| Day rank based on total sales | How much did restaurants that were open make? | ||||||||
| Day | Day Rank | Total rev vs avg | % of restaurants open | Avg rev | Rev vs avg | Avg txns | Txns vs avg | Avg ticket | Ticket vs avg |
| New Year's Day | 349 | -37% | 46% | $1,930 | 21% | 52 | 0% | $37.43 | 21% |
| Super Bowl Sunday | 225 | -14% | 76% | $1,602 | 0% | 48 | -7% | $33.27 | 8% |
| Valentine's Day | 128 | 12% | 88% | $1,807 | 13% | 54 | 4% | $33.55 | 8% |
| President's Day | 245 | -17% | 77% | $1,512 | -5% | 49 | -5% | $30.70 | -1% |
| St. Patrick's Day | 10 | 46% | 91% | $2,255 | 41% | 64 | 24% | $35.19 | 14% |
| Saturday before Easter | 28 | 40% | 92% | $2,153 | 35% | 61 | 18% | $35.31 | 14% |
| Easter Sunday | 156 | 2% | 72% | $1,999 | 25% | 52 | 0% | $38.51 | 24% |
| Cinco de Mayo | 6 | 48% | 95% | $2,197 | 37% | 62 | 20% | $35.36 | 14% |
| Day before Mother's Day | 2 | 57% | 95% | $2,324 | 45% | 61 | 18% | $37.95 | 23% |
| Mother's Day | 1 | 74% | 87% | $2,833 | 77% | 63 | 22% | $45.00 | 45% |
| Memorial Day | 184 | -6% | 76% | $1,745 | 9% | 53 | 2% | $33.18 | 7% |
| Day before Father's Day | 4 | 52% | 96% | $2,224 | 39% | 59 | 14% | $37.62 | 22% |
| Father's Day | 3 | 56% | 88% | $2,497 | 56% | 59 | 14% | $42.21 | 36% |
| 4th of July | 317 | -28% | 65% | $1,559 | -2% | 47 | -9% | $33.29 | 8% |
| Labor Day | 182 | -6% | 72% | $1,855 | 16% | 54 | 5% | $34.21 | 11% |
| Halloween | 235 | -15% | 86% | $1,386 | -13% | 50 | -3% | $27.55 | -11% |
| Veteran's Day | 113 | 18% | 78% | $2,144 | 34% | 60 | 17% | $35.53 | 15% |
| Thanksgiving | 364 | -58% | 41% | $1,449 | -9% | 36 | -30% | $39.82 | 29% |
| Black Friday | 252 | -18% | 72% | $1,611 | 1% | 44 | -14% | $36.41 | 18% |
| Saturday before Christmas | 105 | 20% | 81% | $2,072 | 30% | 55 | 7% | $37.43 | 21% |
| Christmas Eve | 303 | -26% | 64% | $1,621 | 1% | 40 | -23% | $40.58 | 31% |
| Christmas Day | 365 | -65% | 24% | $2,096 | 31% | 43 | -16% | $48.27 | 56% |
| New Year's Eve | 192 | -8% | 71% | $1,844 | 15% | 48 | -6% | $38.05 | 23% |
Methodology
Womply analyzed daily revenue for 42,223 restaurants in all 50 states, including California, as well as the District of Columbia for all 365 days of the 2018 calendar year. Restaurants were only qualified for the analysis if they qualified as small businesses, Womply had a full year of transaction history, and the business recorded multiple transactions per day, on average.
