The POS+ Report: Analyzing Restaurant Sales Trends as of March 2026

In a recent announcement, Postas Co., Ltd. unveiled its sales trend report for the restaurant industry, highlighting data collected through its cloud-based mobile POS register, POS+. The report, which covers data from March 2026, reveals key insights into the performance of restaurants across Japan, as well as the evolving landscape of payment methods.

Overview of Restaurant Sales Performance

The sales performance in March showed a minor growth, achieving a year-on-year increase of 100.5%. However, this figure indicates a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous month. Despite the slight decline in growth rate, the overall sales trends reflect resilience in the face of ongoing changes in the dining environment.

Regional Sales Insights

Looking at the sales trends by region, the average growth across local areas reached 102.5%, representing an increase of 1.3 percentage points from February. Notably, Hokkaido showed the highest increase at 106.0%, signaling a strong demand in that region during March.

Cashless Payment Adoption

Cashless payment ratios have stabilized at 55.7% nationwide, mirroring the previous month's statistics. In all restaurant categories, cashless payment adoption has exceeded 40%, underscoring a significant shift towards digital transactions across the industry. In particular, food establishments, casual dining, and take-out services have seen code payment ratios surpassing 10%. It is noteworthy that 20 out of the 28 categories examined have a cashless payment ratio exceeding 50%, indicating a robust trend where cashless usage is becoming the norm rather than the exception.

However, disparities still exist among different types of cuisine. For instance, the highest cashless adoption was found in teppanyaki (77.2%), whereas ramen establishments lagged significantly at 34.4%, showcasing a 42.8 percentage point gap influenced by genre.

Comparing cashless payment ratios between February and March reveals increases in all restaurant types except izakayas, with credit card payment use seeing notable gains in most categories.

Payment Method Preferences

Drilling down into payment methods, credit cards lead the way with a substantial 78.7% share, followed by code payments at 15.5%. This data illustrates a clear preference among consumers for using credit cards over alternative payment modes.

Sales Performance by Time Slot

Analyzing performance across different times of day, dinner service remains dominated by izakayas, while lunch sees higher sales in casual dining options. The difference between these segments gives insight into changing consumer habits and their impact on restaurant revenues.

Conclusion

Postas continues to strive towards its mission of enhancing the service quality in the hospitality sector through the use of technology. By providing valuable insights like these, they aim to empower restaurant owners and operators to make informed decisions that bolster their business sustainability and growth. With the industry constantly adapting to economic changes and consumer preferences, ongoing research and reporting are vital for staying ahead in the competitive dining landscape of Japan.

For more information about the POS+ service and its applications, visit Postas Co., Ltd..