The State of Local Restaurants 2020
WISCONSIN
We analyzed transactions for every day of the 2019 calendar year at 36,000 local restaurants across the United States, including Wisconsin. 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.
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What we learned about local restaurant sales in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the 47th-ranked state for average daily restaurant revenue in the country, generating 33% less in daily revenue than the national average on a given day.
Do you own a restaurant in Wisconsin?
How much do restaurants in Wisconsin make on an average day?
On a typical day, the average restaurant in Wisconsin brought in $908 in revenue. The average restaurant also processed about 30 daily transactions at an average of $30.59 per ticket.
| Sales Revenue | Transactions | Ticket Size |
| $908 | 30 | $30.59 |
| National Rank: 47 | National Rank: 50 | National Rank: 12 |
What days of the week are busiest for Wisconsin restaurants?
Fridays and Saturdays are money makers at restaurants across the US, and that trend continues for Wisconsin.
Fridays were especially huge, with 22% of all restaurant revenue in Wisconsin coming in on that day alone. On the other hand, Mondays were the slowest day of the week for Wisconsin restaurants, with only 8% of revenue generated that day.
Wisconsin restaurants processed an average of 38 daily transactions on Fridays, more than any other day of the week.
Wisconsinites spend more per transaction on weekends, with Saturdays boasting the largest average ticket of the week at $34.56 per ticket. Average ticket price is lowest on Mondays, when diners spent an average of $8.90 less than on Saturdays.
What time of year do Wisconsin restaurants make the most money?
Wisconsinites enjoy dining out regardless of the season, but what does the average year look like from week to week at restaurants in Wisconsin? Let's take a look.
Summertime appears to really move the needle for local restaurants in the Badger State. August was the biggest month of the year overall, and 4 out of of the top 5 weeks of the year fall during the summer months.
While August may have been the biggest month of the year overall, Father's Day was responsible for the single-biggest week of the year for Wisconsin restaurants: June 10th through the 16th.
Top 5 days for Wisconsin restaurants
Summer was also responsible for some of the biggest days of the year. Friday, August 2nd, and Friday, August 16th were the top two days of the year. Father's Day and Mother's Day were also big, claiming the #4 and #5 spots for Wisconsin restaurants.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
8/2/19 |
8/16/19 |
7/26/19 |
6/14/19 Father's Day Weekend |
5/11/19 Mother's Day Weekend |
| Friday | Friday | Friday | Friday | Saturday |
Wisconsin 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 | 301 | -38% | 53% | $876 | -4% | 29 | -3% | $30.39 | -1% |
| Super Bowl Sunday | 218 | -18% | 71% | $862 | -5% | 29 | -3% | $30.06 | -2% |
| Valentine's Day | 120 | 13% | 85% | $995 | 10% | 31 | 5% | $31.99 | 5% |
| St. Patrick's Day | 125 | 12% | 76% | $1,091 | 20% | 35 | 17% | $31.41 | 3% |
| Friday before Easter | 14 | 74% | 94% | $1,371 | 51% | 41 | 38% | $33.47 | 9% |
| Saturday before Easter | 90 | 40% | 93% | $1,126 | 24% | 33 | 13% | $33.68 | 10% |
| Easter Sunday | 206 | -16% | 58% | $1,075 | 18% | 26 | -13% | $41.63 | 36% |
| Cinco de Mayo | 126 | 11% | 80% | $1,026 | 13% | 34 | 16% | $29.89 | -2% |
| Friday before Mother's Day | 13 | 74% | 97% | $1,342 | 48% | 40 | 35% | $33.42 | 9% |
| Saturday before Mother's Day | 5 | 81% | 95% | $1,423 | 57% | 39 | 31% | $36.71 | 20% |
| Mother's Day | 8 | 75% | 83% | $1,576 | 74% | 38 | 27% | $41.96 | 37% |
| Friday before Memorial Day | 6 | 77% | 99% | $1,324 | 46% | 39 | 33% | $33.69 | 10% |
| Saturday before Memorial Day | 69 | 50% | 95% | $1,175 | 29% | 35 | 17% | $33.95 | 11% |
| Memorial Day | 292 | -35% | 57% | $840 | -8% | 28 | -6% | $30.02 | -2% |
| Friday before Father's Day | 4 | 83% | 100% | $1,362 | 50% | 40 | 34% | $34.27 | 12% |
| Saturday before Father's Day | 19 | 70% | 97% | $1,308 | 44% | 36 | 23% | $35.89 | 17% |
| Father's Day | 66 | 51% | 84% | $1,334 | 47% | 35 | 20% | $37.59 | 23% |
| 4th of July | 227 | -20% | 65% | $917 | 1% | 28 | -6% | $32.99 | 8% |
| Friday before Labor Day | 36 | 61% | 95% | $1,254 | 38% | 38 | 29% | $32.78 | 7% |
| Saturday before Labor Day | 52 | 56% | 91% | $1,273 | 40% | 36 | 22% | $35.16 | 15% |
| Labor Day | 264 | -30% | 54% | $961 | 6% | 32 | 8% | $30.10 | -2% |
| Halloween | 266 | -30% | 79% | $655 | -28% | 25 | -17% | $26.63 | -13% |
| Thanksgiving Eve | 160 | -3% | 77% | $936 | 3% | 30 | 1% | $31.08 | 2% |
| Thanksgiving | 362 | -64% | 34% | $771 | -15% | 20 | -32% | $38.22 | 25% |
| Christmas Eve | 345 | -54% | 48% | $715 | -21% | 20 | -33% | $35.76 | 17% |
| Christmas Day | 365 | -76% | 22% | $813 | -11% | 21 | -29% | $38.44 | 26% |
| New Year's Eve | 147 | 1% | 63% | $1,187 | 31% | 31 | 3% | $38.78 | 27% |
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.