Hurricane Helene, the devastating storm that left a wide swath of destruction across the southeastern US last month, has taken a major toll on restaurant sales.
That is according to new data from Black Box Intelligence, which has released data from several states impacted by the storm.
Restaurant sales in South Carolina dropped 8.2% in the week ended September 29, according to the research firm. They declined 9.9% in Georgia and 2.8% in Virginia, according to Black Box. Sales declined 2.5% in Tennessee, 5% in North Carolina and 4.5% in Florida during the week.
The declines in sales during that week have pulled down sales for the country as a whole, according to Black Box. Overall, sales that week declined 1.6%.
Factor out those six states, however, and sales increased 0.4%.
“The data illustrates how hurricanes like Helene disrupt day-to-day operations for restaurants, highlighting the significant revenue impact across key markets,” Victor Fernandez, VP of insights with the Dallas-based Black Box, said in a statement.
Fernandez noted that the hurricane, as well as Hurricane Milton that hit Florida this week, came after the outlook for the industry had been looking more positive. “With Milton coming hot on its heels, and some states still feeling the impacts of Helene well into the week ending Oct. 6, we will see how this further compounds restaurant performance in the next week or so.”
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 with 140 miles-per-hour winds. The storm’s torrential rains hammered communities across the southeast, wiping out entire mountain towns in western North Carolina.
In the process, the storm left hundreds or even thousands of restaurants closed or destroyed. The data from Black Box demonstrates the impact of the storm on the region’s overall restaurant sales.
UPDATE: This story has been changed to reflect an update in the sales numbers.
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