Atlanta restaurant sales up 5.5 percent in first quarter

A rebounding economy and brighter jobs picture has metro Atlantans spending in the city’s restaurants.

Sales at Atlanta eateries were up 5.5 percent in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same period last year, said Robert Wagner, a CPA who measures dining habits at a sample of 103 independent restaurants in Georgia’s capital.

For the quarter, which ending in March, 71 percent of the restaurants reported positive sales gains, said Wagner, president of NetFinancials. Restaurant sales nationally increased 2.8 percent, according to Black Box Intelligence.

Wagner attributed Atlanta’s restaurant sales increase to growing visitor traffic to the city and declining unemployment, which fell to 5.9 percent in metro Atlanta in March.

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