The National Restaurant Association (NRA) 2017 Forecast was published this week and it calls for generally modest real (i.e. transaction) growth in 2017 – 2.5% at limited service and 1.1% at full service restaurants. The restaurant sales growth rate has slowed greatly since the Great Recession, with the US Southeast and West being the highest expected growth regions in the projected $799 Billion industry. The NRA is projecting an average wage rate increase of 4.1%, due to market and statutory wage drivers.