Consumer expenditures on purchases of food away from home have risen in recent years to comprise nearly half of consumer food budgets. Using the monthly National Restaurant Association Restaurant Performance Index, we seek to determine the factors influencing restaurateurs’ perceptions of their current situation, same-store sales, and customer traffic from July 2002 through March 2017. Macroeconomic variables have little impact on restaurant performance, but concerns about public health perceptions do impact restaurateurs’ outlook. Concerns over the link between meat and poultry consumption and cancer also negatively impact restaurant owners’ perceptions of performance.