Average check by venue and daypart: which way is it moving?
What the answer looks like
Illustrative output on sample data
Illustrative example: how Lexi answers this for a seafood restaurant group with six venues. It uses POS checks for the last quarter against the same quarter last year.
- Harbor venue, dinner: $5.04M across 58,000 checks. Average check = 5,040,000 ÷ 58,000 = $86.90, up from $82.10.
- Harbor venue, lunch: $38.40, down from $41.20.
- Group: dinner up 4%, lunch down 5%.
What the data shows
Dinner checks are rising at most venues, and lunch checks are falling across the group.
What it means
The fall at lunch follows the launch of a $29 express menu. More lunch guests choose it, and fewer add a drink or dessert.
What to do
Add a drink to the express menu for a small extra charge, and track lunch check and covers together.
Want me to show which guests switched to the express menu?
Average check formula
Why it matters
Average check is one of the core restaurant customer metrics, and a group-wide figure hides most of what matters. Breaking it down by venue and daypart shows where guests are spending more or less, and whether the change comes from price, menu mix or party size.
Frequently asked questions
How is average check calculated in a restaurant?
Divide net sales by the number of checks for one period, after discounts and before tax and tips. Some groups divide by covers to get spend per guest, so use one method across venues and record which one you chose.
What drives changes in a restaurant's average check?
Price changes, menu mix, party size, drinks per guest and discounts all move the average check. Splitting the change by daypart and checking items per check usually shows which one is responsible, since each needs a different response.
Should average check be tracked by daypart?
Yes. Breakfast, lunch and dinner have very different checks, so a shift in the mix of dayparts can move the overall figure even when nothing changed within each one. Tracking each daypart separately shows the real trend.