According to Nation’s Restaurant News, “The holiday season got off to a healthy start last month as credit and debit card usage and spending increased at restaurants, according to payment processor First Data.”

“According to payment card data tracked by First Data, whose U.S. headquarters is in Atlanta, the restaurant industry logged a 6.2-percent increase in year-over-year dollar volume growth in November. The number of credit and debit card transactions also grew in November, with the restaurant industry logging an 11.1-percent jump. First Data noted that restaurants trailed only the service sector, which had a 16.7-percent increase, in card transaction growth last month. However, while card transactions and overall spending was up at restaurants, average tickets fell 4.4 percent in November, the biggest decline of any industry tracked by First Data.  The restaurant sector’s average ticket also decreased year-over-year by 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2010 and by 4.3 percent in the second and third quarters.”

Read more: http://nrn.com/article/credit-and-debit-card-spending-restaurants#ixzz180ifmaje