December restaurant survey data indicated a 0.3% improvement in same-store sales (SSS) amid a 1.8% slide in comparable traffic. Despite this, December performance levels marked the second best-performing traffic trend since the first quarter of 2016 and the first period of growth since the end of 2015, indicating signs of recovery and renewal. 2017 was a banner year for restaurant acquisition activity, bearing witness to the fact that the demand for attractive companies with strong market positions is alive and well. If current trends continue, 2018 may become an industry-defining year for restaurant M&A activity.

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