Restaurant traffic overall was down two percent in the second quarter, but the breakfast day-part was flat, according to The NPD Group. The relative strength of the breakfast segment can be attributed to convenience and the relatively low price of food and beverage items at that time of day. “For a lot of people, it’s simply a cup of coffee and maybe a specialty coffee that they’re paying a premium price for, but it’s sort of more manageable,” said David Portalatin, NPD’s food and beverage analyst.