Avero Index July 2019
This July, New York City was hit with significant power outages after high temperatures and storms left large parts of Manhattan’s West side as well as large parts of Brooklyn completely in the dark. The blackout left commuters trapped in subways, residents sweltering without air conditioning, and Jennifer Lopez heartbroken on a dark stage.
The power outage also meant restaurants had no light or air conditioning to power their restaurants through dinner service or keep their kitchens going and fridges at temperature. These blackouts largely contributed to a loss of sales this month of 2.4 percent across New York City restaurants.
Extreme heat waves throughout the country in July may have contributed to the 1.3 percent decline in national restaurant sales as well. 
In fact, every city analyzed in the index showed a decline, except Miami, which came in strong with a 6.4 percent increase. Diners deciding to opt out of the high temperatures to stay in for their meals likely reflects the 4 percent drop in covers across restaurants nationwide.
Looking across the menu, appetizers saw the greatest year over year performance with an increase in 2 percent in sales as restaurant guests opted for smaller dishes while larger scale entrees dropped by 4 percent. In the drinks category, wine by the glass saw the largest drop with a decrease of 3 percent compared to last year.
Read on for further analysis of July’s restaurant sales in other major cities in the U.S.
