NPD: Industry traffic takes biggest dip in 28 years

CHICAGO Restaurant industry guest traffic fell 2.6 percent for the quarter ended May 31, the largest decline since 1981, as consumers continued to cut spending and families with children reduced dining out, a report by market research firm The NPD Group said Monday.

The traffic decline is compared with an increase of 0.5 percent during the same quarter a year earlier, NPD officials said.

The newest report blamed the restaurant traffic decline mostly on