Gas prices rose above $4 per gallon again. What that means for restaurants

Gas prices rose above $4 per gallon again, with the national average of regular fuel reaching $4.09, up from $3.94 a week earlier, according to AAA figures cited by Nation’s Restaurant News. The increase aligns with a rise in oil prices, with the cost of a barrel up 16% over the prior week. The article says higher fuel costs are likely to keep a lid on restaurant traffic during the year, potentially undercutting any recovery after weak results in recent years. It notes that restaurant traffic fell in spring at the start of the war involving Iran, then appeared to recover slightly until last month. Prices had been decreasing as a ceasefire took hold and cargo ships resumed movement through the Strait of Hormuz, but hopes for improvement were dampened by the return to higher prices and a cyclospora outbreak.