LOCAL AREA RANKED #2 IN NATIONAL RESTAURANT GROWTH INDEX

It is quite obvious for the locals why we are ranked so high. Military. They come with a lot of disposable income and love to eat out. Almost every eatery caters to the military and retirees with a number of military discount programs throughout the area.

Special to the News Bulletin
May 6, 2009 - 7:40AM
The Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin metro area again ranked second — for the sixth straight year — out of 363 U.S. metros in the annual 2009 Nielsen Claritas Restaurant Growth Index (RGI) with an index score of 504 and total restaurant sales of $695 million.
With this ranking, Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, which had an index of 430 last year, has closed the gap significantly with No. 1 Myrtle Beach, S.C., whose ranking dropped from 735 in 2008 to 632 this year.
To compile the RGI, a formula is used to identify restaurant spending and gaps in spending per capita compared to a national average of 100, which means the higher the RGI over 100, the more opportunity there is. The RGI was determined by looking at how much money people spend at restaurants as a percentage of their income and comparing the number to national averages.
The overall message from RGI remained the same as in previous years. College towns and vacation spots — with their large influx of visitors ready to eat out—predominate as the best places to open a new restaurant.
The ratings were featured in this month’s edition of Restaurant Business Magazine.