WASHINGTON — For the month of October, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) totaled 100.0, almost unchanged from September’s total of 100.1. The RPI is a monthly composite index that tracks the health of, and outlook for, the US restaurant industry.

Softer sales and customer traffic being offset by a more optimistic outlook among restaurant operators are being credited for October’s RPI reading.

“Although sales results were somewhat softer in October, restaurant operators reported net positive same-store sales for the fifth consecutive month,” said Hudson Riehle, NRA senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group. “Each of the four forward-looking indicators improved in October, which pushed the Expectations Index to its highest level in four months.”