Restaurant operators report positive same-store sales for the 13th consecutive month and remain optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index stood at 101.4 in June, unchanged from May's level. June represented the eighth consecutive month that the RPI scored more than 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators.

The Index consists of two components — the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index. Key data points from the Current Situation Index include:

• Sixty-one percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between June 2011 and June 2012, unchanged from May. And 24 percent of operators reported lower same-store sales in June, down from 28 percent in May.
• Fifty percent of restaurant operators reported higher customer traffic levels in June, compared to the same period last year. This represents an 8 percent increase from May. And 29 percent of operators reported lower customer traffic levels in June, down from 39 percent in May.
• Forty-eight percent of operators said they made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling during the last three months, up slightly from 46 percent who reported similarly last month.

Key data points from the Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators' six-month outlook for four industry indicators, include:

• Fifty percent of restaurant operators expect to have higher sales in six months, compared to the same period in the previous year. This is up slightly from 48 percent who reported similarly last month. However, 13 percent of restaurant operators expect their sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year, the highest proportion in eight months.
• Only 28 percent of restaurant operators said they expect economic conditions to improve in six months, down from 36 percent last month. Meanwhile, 21 percent of operators said they expect economic conditions to worsen in the next six months, up from 19 percent last month.
• Eighteen percent of restaurant operators plan to increase staffing levels in six months, while 12 percent said they expect to reduce staffing levels in six months.
• Fifty-one percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, down slightly from 55 percent who reported similarly last month.