Restaurant outlook dampens - Boston Business Journal:

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A total of 60 percentf of operators saw lower May sales compared to ayear ago, whiled 26 percent said sales were up. The associatioj also says restaurant operators reportedc negative customer traffic levelsin May, the 21st consecutive monthb of traffic declines. "Despite the softer sales restaurant operators remained relatively optimistic that the economh will improve in themonthsz ahead," the Association said. "Thirty-four percent of restaurant operators said they expect economicc conditions to improve in six down slightly from 37 percenyt who reported similarlylast month.
" After reachingf a 10 month high last the group says restauranf operators have scaled back plans for capital expendituresx in the coming months, with 41 percentt planning to spend money on remodeling or equipment, down from 46 percenf last month.