The State of Local Restaurants 2020
RHODE ISLAND
We analyzed transactions for every day of the 2019 calendar year at 36,000 local restaurants across the United States, including Rhode Island. This resulted in a comprehensive examination of when local restaurants do the most business, when they serve the most diners, and what 2020 may look like when it comes to eating local.
What we learned about local restaurant sales in Rhode Island
Rhode Island is the 2nd-ranked state for average daily restaurant revenue in the country, generating 29% more in daily revenue than the national average on a given day.
Do you own a restaurant in Rhode Island?
How much do restaurants in Rhode Island make on an average day?
On a typical day, the average restaurant in Rhode Island brought in $1,743 in revenue. The average restaurant also processed about 47 daily transactions at an average of $37.20 per ticket.
| Sales Revenue | Transactions | Ticket Size |
| $1,743 | 47 | $37.20 |
| National Rank: 2 | National Rank: 25 | National Rank: 1 |
What days of the week are busiest for Rhode Island restaurants?
Fridays and Saturdays are money makers at restaurants across the US, and that trend continues for Rhode Island.
Saturdays were especially huge, with 22% of all restaurant revenue in Rhode Island coming in on that day alone. On the other hand, Tuesdays were the slowest day of the week for Rhode Island restaurants, with only 10% of revenue generated that day.
Rhode Island restaurants processed an average of 59 daily transactions on Saturdays, more than any other day of the week.
Rhode Islanders spend more per transaction on weekends, with Saturdays boasting the largest average ticket of the week at $42.73 per ticket. Average ticket price is lowest on Tuesdays, when diners spent an average of $10.74 less than on Saturdays.
What time of year do Rhode Island restaurants make the most money?
Rhode Islanders enjoy dining out regardless of the season, but what does the average year look like from week to week at restaurants in Rhode Island? Let's take a look.
Summer was huge for restaurants in the Ocean State. August was the top month of the year, and 8 of the top 10 weeks of the year were in the months of June, July, and August.
While August may have been the biggest month of the year overall, Mother's Day was responsible for the single-biggest week of the year for Rhode Island restaurants: May 6th through the 12th.
Top 5 days for Rhode Island restaurants
Mother's Day weekend was responsible for the biggest day of the year, and a total of two of the top five days of the year overall. Early fall was also big for restaurants in Rhode Island, accounting for the second biggest day of the year.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
5/12/19 Mother's Day |
9/14/19 |
3/16/19 |
5/11/19 Mother's Day Weekend |
5/18/19 |
| Sunday | Saturday | Saturday | Saturday | Saturday |
Rhode Island restaurants on prominent days
Restaurants rely on holidays and events to drive big sales days 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 | 200 | -13% | 63% | $2,035 | 17% | 48 | 2% | $42.55 | 14% |
| Super Bowl Sunday | 168 | -5% | 79% | $1,778 | 2% | 47 | 0% | $37.95 | 2% |
| Valentine's Day | 123 | 21% | 89% | $2,008 | 15% | 48 | 3% | $41.59 | 12% |
| St. Patrick's Day | 97 | 29% | 85% | $2,242 | 29% | 56 | 19% | $40.24 | 8% |
| Friday before Easter | 62 | 43% | 93% | $2,274 | 31% | 60 | 29% | $37.67 | 1% |
| Saturday before Easter | 27 | 54% | 94% | $2,422 | 39% | 58 | 23% | $41.99 | 13% |
| Easter Sunday | 133 | 16% | 63% | $2,738 | 57% | 44 | -7% | $62.49 | 68% |
| Cinco de Mayo | 66 | 42% | 87% | $2,411 | 38% | 59 | 27% | $40.69 | 9% |
| Friday before Mother's Day | 47 | 46% | 97% | $2,235 | 28% | 60 | 28% | $37.39 | 1% |
| Saturday before Mother's Day | 4 | 74% | 94% | $2,763 | 59% | 62 | 33% | $44.52 | 20% |
| Mother's Day | 1 | 90% | 85% | $3,309 | 90% | 58 | 23% | $57.32 | 54% |
| Friday before Memorial Day | 61 | 43% | 96% | $2,218 | 27% | 58 | 23% | $38.44 | 3% |
| Saturday before Memorial Day | 15 | 62% | 92% | $2,626 | 51% | 60 | 29% | $43.54 | 17% |
| Memorial Day | 215 | -17% | 70% | $1,767 | 1% | 49 | 4% | $36.16 | -3% |
| Friday before Father's Day | 53 | 44% | 97% | $2,211 | 27% | 57 | 21% | $38.92 | 5% |
| Saturday before Father's Day | 36 | 51% | 96% | $2,352 | 35% | 57 | 21% | $41.41 | 11% |
| Father's Day | 57 | 44% | 88% | $2,423 | 39% | 55 | 17% | $44.25 | 19% |
| 4th of July | 322 | -39% | 56% | $1,597 | -8% | 46 | -2% | $34.80 | -7% |
| Friday before Labor Day | 29 | 53% | 95% | $2,387 | 37% | 59 | 27% | $40.21 | 8% |
| Saturday before Labor Day | 9 | 68% | 95% | $2,629 | 51% | 58 | 25% | $44.95 | 21% |
| Labor Day | 179 | -9% | 67% | $2,013 | 16% | 53 | 13% | $37.90 | 2% |
| Halloween | 248 | -26% | 79% | $1,389 | -20% | 45 | -5% | $31.05 | -17% |
| Thanksgiving Eve | 149 | 4% | 84% | $1,849 | 6% | 52 | 12% | $35.36 | -5% |
| Thanksgiving | 299 | -35% | 41% | $2,336 | 34% | 37 | -22% | $63.93 | 72% |
| Christmas Eve | 314 | -38% | 46% | $2,014 | 16% | 39 | -18% | $52.26 | 41% |
| Christmas Day | 365 | -76% | 16% | $2,254 | 29% | 45 | -3% | $49.64 | 33% |
| New Year's Eve | 84 | 36% | 68% | $2,975 | 71% | 59 | 27% | $50.19 | 35% |
Methodology
Womply analyzed daily revenue for over 36,000 restaurants in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, for all 365 days of the 2019 calendar year. Restaurants were only included in 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.